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THE BLUE RIBBON 



What Thomas Edward Murphy has 

Done for the Promotion of 

Personal Temperance 



WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE WORK OF HIS FATHER, 

FRANCIS MURPHY, AND OF HIS BROTHER, 

WILLIAM J. MURPHY 



BY 

ARTHUR REED KIMBALL 



*?7 






NEW YORK 
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



HV5 0-- 



Copyright, 1894, 

BY 

DODD, MEAD & COMPANY. 



All rights reserved. 



THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, 
RAHWAY, N. J. 



Mrs. THOMAS EDWARD MURPHY, 

WHO, UNDER THE TRYING GAZE OF THOUSANDS, HAS 
LIVED A LIFE OF TRUE WOMANLY RESERVE 
AND EFFECTIVE WOMANLY INFLUENCE, 
THIS LITTLE BOOK IS AFFEC- 
TIONATELY INSCRIBED'. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Great Social Change of which the 

Blue Ribbon is Typical, i 
II. The Founder of the Blue Ribbon Move- 
ment, Francis Murphy, ... 31 
III. The Making of a Blue Ribbon Orator, 

Thomas Edward Murphy, ... 64 
IV. "Ned" Murphy's Methods, with Illus- 
trations and Incidents, . . '-.. 104 
V. Some of "Ned" Murphy's Speeches, . 144 
VI. The Third Blue Ribbon Orator, William 

J. Murphy, . . . . . . 180 

VII. The Blue Ribbon Movement in England, 208 

VIII. "Ned" Murphy's American Campaign, . 266 

IX. The Blessing that Remains, . . . 320 



THE BLUE RIBBON. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE OF WHICH 
THE BLUE RIBBON IS TYPICAL. 

In the year 1887, the jubilee year of Queen 
Victoria, Walter Besant, the well-known novelist 
and philanthropist, the man whose good for- 
tune it was to originate the People's Palace, 
brought out a book entitled " Fifty Years Ago." 
The idea of the book is to contrast the life of 
the English people in 1837, when the Queen 
ascended the throne, with what it was fifty 
years after in the Queen's jubilee year. 

The book naturally and appropriately opens 
with a sketch of the conspicuous points of dif- 
ference distinguishing the life then from the 
life to-day. " Rank was still held in the ancient 
reverence," writes Mr. Besant ; " religion was 
still that of the eighteenth century Church ; 
the rights of labor were not yet recognized ; 
there were no trades' unions ; there were no 
railways to speak of ; nobody traveled except 
the rich ; their own country was unknown to 



2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the people; the majority of country people 
could not read or write ; the good old disci- 
pline of Father Stick and his children, Cat-o'- 
Nine-Tails, Rope's End, Strap, Birch, Ferule, 
and Cane, was wholesomely maintained ; land- 
lords, manufacturers, and employers of all kinds 
did what they pleased with their own ; and the 
Blue Ribbon was unheard of." 

In this last little sentence of seven words 
a great historical fact has been compressed. 
The idea of traveling thousands of miles by 
railway, of recognition of the rights of laboring 
men, or of modern methods of pedagogy, 
would have been no less strange to the people 
of the young queen's reign than the idea of 
voluntary total abstinence from all alcoholic 
beverages. The man who had then predicted 
the great influence of the modern temperance 
movement would have been counted by his 
neighbors a visionary lunatic, as surely as if he 
had predicted that people across the water in 
America would travel a thousand miles from 
New York to Chicago in twenty hours. 

The symbol of this great change is the Blue 
Ribbon. That is the contribution of Francis 
Murphy to the nomenclature at least of the 
temperance movement. The Blue Ribbon is 
the " outward and visible sign of an inward 
and spiritual state," and as such is now recog- 
nized on two continents. 

The question is sometimes asked, What has 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 3 

temperance reform accomplished after all ? 
Saloons still abound in all large cities ; one 
of the chief duties of the policeman is still 
to keep the streets clear of drunkards ; the 
dockets of the petty courts are still crowded 
with prosecutions for breaches of the peace and 
other misdemeanors due to the drink habit ; 
the judges and juries of the higher courts are 
still kept busy with trials for murder and other 
terrible crimes originating from the same cause ; 
prisons are still filled with the victims of alcohol, 
and among the inmates of insane asylums are 
not a few of alcohol's other victims ; the ex- 
pense thus entailed upon society amounts, 
directly and indirectly, to millions on millions 
of dollars annually ; the drinking habits of 
society and of the poorer classes still continue 
apparently unchecked ; some are tempted to 
state that the drinking of alcohol, in one form 
or another, is becoming on the whole more 
general, and is even extended to localities 
which have been free from it in the past. 

This picture, though no doubt exaggerated, 
is dark enough when viewed only in its truth- 
ful aspects. It is a dark enough picture to war- 
rant at times a feeling of hoplessness. But 
there is, as all appreciate who have studied the 
subject historically, a brighter side. To ap- 
preciate this brighter side we must look back 
and see how far the world, our modern world, 
has traveled since the first quarter of the cen- 



4 THE BLUE RIBBOtf. 

tury, when a systematic agitation of the duty 
of total abstinence was inaugurated. 

Let us then turn back for a moment and see 
what was the condition of English society 
when Queen Victoria ascended the throne, 
when, as Mr. Besant says, " the Blue Ribbon 
was unheard of." In this same history of 
" Fifty Years Ago," Mr. Besant, including him- 
self among the early subjects of the Queen, 
writes : " My friend, there is one thing in 
which we of the Thirties do greatly excel you 
of the Eighties. We can eat like plowboys, 
and we can drink like draymen. As for your 
nonsense about Apollinaris water, we do not 
know what it means ; and as for your not being 
able to take a simple glass of port, we do not 
in the least understand it. Not take a pint of 
port? Man alive! we can take two bottles, 
and never turn a hair." What a measure of 
change is that one allusion to Apollinaris 
water ! When one stops to think of the uni- 
versality of its table use or that of other 
mineral waters, and when one takes into con- 
sideration the amount of alcoholics thus dis- 
placed as a table beverage, one feels that this 
small fact bears eloquent testimony to the 
change in the drinking habits of society. 

Mr. Besant goes into particulars in an inter- 
esting manner. " As regards drink," he says, 
" — a question almost as delicate as that of re- 
ligion — when it is reported that in London 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 5 

alone ^"3,000,000 were spent every year in gin, 
it seems a good deal of money to throw away 
with nothing to show for it. As for rum, 
brandy, and Hollands, the various forms of 
malt liquor, fancy drinks, and compounds, I 
shall speak of them more at length in discuss- 
ing taverns. Suffice it here to call attention to 
the fact that there was no Blue Ribbon worn. 
Teetotalers there were, it is true, but in very 
small numbers ; they were not yet a power in 
the land ; there was none of the everlasting 
dinning about the plague spot, the national 
vice, and the curse of the age, to which we are 
now accustomed. Honest men indulged in a 
bout without subsequent remorse." 

In discussing taverns, Mr. Besant says: " It 
is the fashion to lament the quantity of money 
still consumed in drink. But our drink bill is 
nothing in proportion, compared with that of 
fifty years ago. Thus, the number of visitors 
to fourteen great gin shops in London was 
found to average 3000 each per diem ; in Edin- 
burgh there was a gin shop for every fifteen 
families ; in one Irish town of 800 people there 
were 88 gin shops; in Sheffield, thirteen persons 
were killed in ten days by drunkenness ; in 
London there was one public house to every 
fifty-six houses ; in Glasgow, one to every ten. 
Yet it was noted at the time that a great im- 
provement could be observed in the drinking 
habits of the people. In the year 1742, for in- 



6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

stance, there were 19,000,000 gallons of spirits 
consumed by a population of 6,000,000 — that is 
to say, more than three gallons a head every 
year ; or, if we take only the adult men, some- 
thing like twelve gallons for every man in the 
year, which may be calculated to mean one 
bottle in five days. But a hundred years later 
the population had increased to 16,000,000, 
and the consumption of spirits had fallen to 
8,250,000 gallons, which represents a little 
more than half a gallon, or four pints a head 
in a year. Or taking the adult men only, the 
average was two gallons and one-sixteenth a 
head, so that each man's pint bottle would 
have lasted him for three weeks. In Scot- 
land, however, the general average was twenty- 
seven pints a head, and, taking adults alone, 
thirteen gallons and a half a head ; and in 
Ireland six and a half gallons a head. It was 
noted, also, in the year 1837, tnat tne multi- 
plication of coffee houses, of which there were 
1600 in London alone, proved the growth of 
more healthy habits among the people. 

" But," continues Mr. Besant, " though there 
was certainly more moderation in drink than in 
the earlier years of the century, the drink bill 
for the year 1837 was prodigious. A case of 
total abstinence was a phenomenon ; the thirst 
for beer was insatiable ; with many people, 
especially farmers, beer was taken with break- 
fast. Even in my own time — that is to say, 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 7 

when the Queen has been reigning for one- 
and-twenty years or so — there were still many 
undergraduates at Cambridge who drank beer 
habitually for breakfast, and at every breakfast 
party the tankard was passed around as a finish. 
Every farmhouse, every large country house, 
and many townhouse keepers brewed their 
own beer, just as they made their own wines, 
their own jam, and their own lavender water. 
Beer was universally taken with dinner ; even 
at great dinner parties some of the guests 
would call for beer, and strong ale was always 
served with the cheese. After dinner, only 
port and sherry, in middle class houses, were 
put upon the table. Sometimes Madeira or 
Lisbon appeared, but, as a rule, wine meant 
port or sherry, unless, as it sometimes hap- 
pened, it meant cowslip, ginger, or goose- 
berry. Except among the upper class, claret 
was absolutely unknown, as were Burgundy, 
Rhine wines, Sauterne, and all other French 
wines. Champagne was regarded as the drink 
of the prodigal son. In the family circle it 
never appeared at all, except at weddings, and 
perhaps on Christmas Day. In fact, when peo- 
ple spoke of wine in those days, they gener- 
ally meant port. They bought port by the 
hogshead, had it bottled and laid down." 

Coming to the stronger beverages and their 
use in the year 1837, Mr. Besant writes : " As 
for the drinking of spirits, it was certainly much 



8 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

more common than it is now. Among the 
lower classes gin was the favorite — the drink of 
the women as much as of the men. Do you 
know why they call it ' blue ruin ' ? Some 
time ago I saw, going into a public house, some- 
where near the West India Docks, a tall lean 
man, apparently five-and-forty, or thereabouts. 
He was in rags ; his knees bent as he walked, 
his hands trembled, his eyes were eager. And, 
wonderful to relate, the face was perfectly blue 
— not indigo blue, or azure blue, but of a 
ghostly, ghastly, corpse-like kind of blue, which 
made one shudder. Said my companion to 
me, ' That is gin.' We opened the door of the 
public house and looked in. He stood at the 
bar with a full glass in his hand. Then his 
eyes brightened, he gasped, straightened him- 
self and tossed it down his throat. Then he 
came out, and he sighed as one who has just 
had a glimpse of some earthly paradise. He 
walked away with swift and resolute step, as if 
he purposed to achieve something mighty. 
Only a few yards farther along the road, but 
across the way, there stood another public 
house. The man walked straight to the door, 
entered, and took another glass, again with the 
quick gasp of anticipation, again with that 
sigh, as of a hurried peep through the gates 
barred with the sword of fire This man was 
a curious object of study. He went into twelve 
more public houses, each time with greater 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 9 

determination on his lips, and greater eagerness 
in his eyes. 

" The last glass, I suppose, opened these gates 
for him and suffered him to enter, for his lips 
suddenly lost their resolution, his eyes lost 
there luster, he became limp, his arms fell 
heavily — he was drunk, and his face was bluer 
than ever. This was the kind of sight which 
Hogarth could see every day when he painted 
' Gin Lane.' It was in the time when drinking 
shops had placards stuck outside to the effect 
that one might get drunk for a penny, and blind 
drunk for twopence. Next to gin, rum was 
the most popular. Its effects in the good old 
days were wonderful and awe-inspiring. It was 
the author and creator of those flowers now 
almost extinct, called grog-blossoms. You may 
see them depicted by the caricaturists of the 
Rowlandson time, but they survived until well 
past the middle of the century. The decay of 
the rum habit is marked in many other ways. 
Formerly, the toper half filled a thick, short 
rummer with spirit and poured upon it an 
equal quantity of water. The modern toper 
goes to a bar, gets half a wineglass of Scotch 
whisky, and pours upon it a pint of Apolli- 
naris water. The ancient drank his grog hot, 
and with lemon and sugar, and sometimes 
spice. This made a serious business of the 
nightly grog. The modern takes his cold, even 
with ice, and without any addition of lemon. 



io THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Indeed, he squashes his lemon separately, and 
drinks the juice in Appollonaris, without any 
spirit at all, a thing abhorrent to his ancestor." 

This, then, is the picture of England as it 
was when Victoria ascended the throne. The 
contrast between that England and the Eng- 
land of to-day, great as is to-day the curse of 
the drink habit, speaks for itself of the change 
wrought in public opinion by the agitation of 
the temperance question. And it is not a pic- 
ture drawn by one who is himself a total absti- 
nence advocate. Mr. Besant, at least so far as 
his personal habits go, is a man who believes 
in the moderate use of intoxicants ; and, so far 
as his publicly expressed opinion goes, there is 
nothing to warrant us in placing him among 
the advocates of total abstinence for others. 
For this reason the picture which he has drawn 
of the prevalence of the drink habit in an 
earlier England is all the more significant and 
impressive. 

What was true of England early in the cen- 
tury, was equally true of America. The Rev. 
Dr. A. A. Miner, in a recent magazine article, 
thus describes the situation as it was on this 
side of the water : " Seventy-five years ago 
everybody drank. In towns of a thousand 
inhabitants a barrel of New England rum 
would be ' on tap ' at early morn and be sold 
out entire before breakfast. A score or two of 
drunkards would be the daily decoration of the 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. II 

village taverns. The clergy and the deacons, 
with the rank and file of the church members, 
deemed it no disgrace to be more or less dis- 
guised with liquor even on public occasions. 
Ministers would tottle forth, weak in the knees, 
at dedications, installations, christenings, and 
funerals, deporting themselves as grateful visi- 
tors to the well-laden sideboards." 

In proof of this Dr. Miner quotes the testi- 
mony given by the Rev. Dr. John Todd of Pitts- 
field in 1867, before a special committee of 
the Massachusetts legislature, that at the first 
funeral he attended as a minister they had rum 
or brandy sling, " and handed it around, first 
to the minister and then to the mourners to 
comfort them, and the bearers had a room by 
themselves. . . On one occasion, in a town 
he could mention, after the funeral service and 
before the coffin was carried out, they had the 
tumblers and decanters on the table and on the 
coffin, and were sweetening and mixing the 
liquor." 

Corroborative evidence in abundance is easily 
accessible to show that such a statement of the 
drinking habits of society early in the century 
is not in the least exaggerated. 

It may be interesting to review hastily some 
of the earlier movements by which the tone 
of society was improved and the initiative given 
toward the adoption of a higher social standard. 
What is believed to be the first temperance 



12 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

society of modern times is mentioned in the 
Federal Herald, a newspaper of Lansingburgh, 
N. Y., in its issue of July 13, 1789, in these 
words : " Upwards of two hundred of the 
most respectable farmers of the county of 
Litchfield, Conn., have formed an association 
to discourage the use of spirituous liquors, and 
have determined not to use any kind of dis- 
tilled liquors in doing their farming work the 
ensuing season." During the next ten years 
or more various sermons were preached and 
tracts issued urging the necessity of temper- 
ance reform. In 1805 a number of paper manu- 
facturers in Philadelphia, noticing the misery 
caused among their employees by the use of 
intoxicants, agreed to put forth every possible 
effort, to quote Watson, the historian of Phila- 
delphia, " to restrain and prohibit the use of 
ardent spirits in their respective mills." The 
formation of the second modern temperance 
society followed shortly after the agreement of 
these Philadelphia manufacturers. It was insti- 
tuted at Moreau, Saratoga County, N. Y., April 
13, 1808. It was a social union, formed for 
the purpose of suppressing the tyranny of 
social custom. Its influence was largely local, 
but it indicated the direction in which good 
men's minds were turning all over the country. 
Coming down to 181 1 we find that steps 
were taken almost simultaneously at Phila- 
delphia and Litchfield to mitigate the more 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 13 

terrible manifestations of the evil. In Phila- 
delphia Dr. Rush, a physician who had been 
issuing pamphlets on the subject, appeared 
before the General Assembly of the Pres- 
byterian Church, and urged the necessity of 
arousing the public mind to the imminent 
danger. As a result the Assembly appointed 
a committee composed of well-known clergy- 
men and laymen, who were instructed '• to 
devise measures which, when sanctioned by 
the General Assembly, may have an influence 
in preventing some of the more numerous and 
threatening mischiefs which are experienced 
throughout our country." The report pre- 
sented by this committee, and adopted by the 
Assembly, consisted principally of an appeal to 
all ministers to preach strong sermons upon the 
duty of temperance — but not by temperance 
meaning total abstinence. 

In that same year at Litchfield the General 
Association of Connecticut (Congregational) 
appointed a committee for a similar purpose. 
The following year that committee reported 
that they found the evil tremendous and 
steadily increasing, but had no remedy to sug- 
gest. This impotent report aroused that lion- 
hearted preacher and theologian, the Rev. 
Dr. Lyman Beecher. He thus tells the story 
in his own words : " Blood started from my 
heart when I heard this, and I arose instantly 
and moved that another committee of three 



14 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

be appointed to report at this meeting on 
ways and means of arresting the tide of intem- 
perance. This was immediately done. I was 
chairman, and on the following day brought 
in the report, and it was the most important 
paper that I ever wrote." 

This report is noteworthy for its mildness 
from our modern point of view. It recom- 
mended: First, preaching on the subject ; sec- 
ond, abstaining from the use of ardent spirits 
at ecclesiastical meetings ; third, for church 
members, abstaining from unlawful traffic in 
ardent spirits, and from the fashion of furnish- 
ing them to guests on occasion of social visits ; 
fourth, for parents, abstaining from the ordi- 
nary use of ardent spirits in the family ; fifth, 
for employers, abstaining from giving liquor to 
employees, other and better drinks and addi- 
tional money being substituted. Dr. Beecher 
excuses the mildness of this report when he 
says : " I was not headstrong then, but I was 
heart strong. We did not say a word about 
wine, because we thought that it was best in 
this sudden onset to tackle that which was 
most prevalent and deadly, and that it was 
as much as would be safe to take hold of one 
such dragon by the horn without tackling 
another. However, we resolved upon abstain- 
ing from wine, and generally did so in our 
families." Dr. Beecher records that as a result 
of this movement there was a notable diminu- 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 1 5 

tion in the general use of intoxicants. The 
way was thus prepared for the true temperance 
movement, the total abstinence movement. 

This beginning at Litchfield led, in 1813, to 
the formation of the Massachusetts Society for 
the Supression of Intemperance. This society 
included in its membership men of the highest 
character and social influence. Its avowed 
object, however, was simply to discounten- 
ance the " too free use of ardent spirits." It 
made but little headway because of the mild- 
ness of its policy. At this time, too (18 12), 
the Consociation of Fairfield County, Connec- 
ticut (Congregational), began the work of 
reform within its own body, excluded spiritu- 
ous liquors from its meetings, and published 
an appeal against the drinking usages of 
society. This appeal is supposed to have 
been written by the Rev. Heman Humphrey, 
afterward president of Amherst College. It 
is noteworthy not only for its authorship, but 
because it contains one of the earliest of 
recorded utterances distinctly favoring total 
abstinence. It says : " The remedy we would 
suggest, particularly to those whose appetite 
for drink is strong and increasing, is a total 
abstinence from the use of all intoxicating 
liquors. This may be deemed a harsh remedy, 
but the nature of the disease absolutely 
requires it." 

During the years 181 7 and 18 18 considerable 



1 6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

progress was made in the matter of temperance 
all along the seaboard of New England, but 
the year 1826 marked an epoch in the advance 
of the reform. It was in this year that the 
Rev. Justin Edwards started an agitation 
which led to the organization of the American 
Temperance Society, which, it will be noted, 
was something more than a mere local or State 
organization. The pledge of this Society was 
total abstinence from ardent spirits, but not 
from all spirituous liquors. In this year, too, 
the Rev. Dr. Calvin Chapin of Rocky Hill, 
who was prominently identified with temper- 
ance work in Connecticut, took more advanced 
ground than had hitherto been occupied by 
temperance leaders. In a series of papers in 
the Connecticut Observer (now the Hartford 
Conrani) he advocated abstinence even from 
wine, beer, ale, and cider. This seemed ex- 
treme radicalism to many of his fellow-workers, 
but it set temperance people to thinking along 
progressive lines. 

It was in 1826 also that Dr. Lyman Beecher 
preached in Litchfield his famous " Six Ser- 
mons " on temperance, which stirred the popu- 
lar pulse as it had never been stirred before on 
this question. They had not been premedi- 
ated. The wife of a favorite family in his con- 
gregation had appealed to him for help in sav- 
ing a member of it who was fast going to perdi- 
tion. Dr. Beecher supposed her to refer to her 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 17 

father. He was inexpressibly shocked to find 
that her husband, too, was addicted to the 
habit, and was in great danger. 

Aroused by this discovery, he put into 
immediate action a plan, which had long lain 
dormant in his mind, for a series of temperance 
sermons, and sent forth his message from a 
heart and brain fused to white heat. He says 
of these sermons : " I wrote under such a 
power of feeling as never before or since. I 
never could have written them under other 
circumstances. They took hold of the whole 
congregation. Sabbath after Sabbath the in- 
terest grew, and became the most absorbing 
thing ever heard of before." 

The impassioned rhetoric of these sermons 
has perhaps never been surpassed in the history 
of temperance appeal. Room must be made 
for this one short typical extract : " What if 
the cold blood oozed out and stood in drops 
upon the walls, and by preternatural art all 
the ghastly skulls and bones of the victims 
destroyed by intemperance were dimly seen 
haunting the distilleries and stores where they 
received their bane, following the track of the 
ship engaged in the commerce, walking the 
waves, flitting athwart the deck, sitting upon 
the rigging, and sending up from the hold 
within and tl.e waves without, groans and loud 
laments and wailings ! Who would attend 
such stores? Who would labor in such distill- 



1 8 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

eries ? Who would navigate such ships ? Oh ! 
were the sky over our heads one great whisper- 
ing gallery, bringing down about us all the 
lamentations and woe which intemperance cre- 
ates, and the firm earth one sonorous medium 
of sound, bringing up around us from beneath 
the wailings of the damned whom the com- 
merce in ardent spirits had sent thither, these 
tremendous realities, assailing our senses, 
would invigorate our conscience and give 
decision to our purpose of reformation. But 
these evils are as real as if the stones cried out 
of the wall, and the beams answered it ; as real 
as if day and night wailings were heard in 
every part of the dwelling, and blood and 
skeletons were seen upon every wall ; as real as 
if the ghostly forms of departed victims flitted 
about the ship as she passed over the billows ; 
and showed themselves nightly about stores 
and distilleries, and with unearthly voices 
screamed in our ears their loud laments. 
They are as real as if the sky overhead col- 
lected and brought about us all the notes of 
sorrow in the land, and the firm earth should 
open a passage for the wailings of despair to 
come up from beneath." It is no marvel that 
such weird intensity as this should have left an 
impress on the beginning of the temperance 
agitation which time can never obliterate. 

Although the first American temperance 
society had been formed in 1826, the first 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 19 

national temperance convention was not held 
until 1833. The place was the City of Phila- 
delphia, and the date was May 24. 

There were 440 delegates present, represent- 
ing nineteen States and one Territory. These 
delegates included the foremost workers and 
thinkers in the new reform. The resolutions 
adopted showed that the influences we have 
noted were doing their work, and declared that 
it was expedient to adopt the total abstinence 
pledge as soon as possible. But it was not 
until three years later at the second national 
temperance convention, which was held in Sara- 
toga, that this declaration of expediency was 
given actual effect in the only consistent tem- 
perance position. By that convention a reso- 
lution, championed by Dr. Beecher and others, 
was unanimously adopted, declaring that hence- 
forth the pledge of temperance should be total 
abstinence from all intoxicating liquors. The 
temperance reform in the United States was 
now finally organized on a permanent basis, and 
for effective, lasting work. In New York State 
there were at this time, or soon after, some 
1200 total abstinence societies, with a member- 
ship approximating 130,000. In New England 
more than half the population of many towns 
and villages was included in the membership 
of similar societies. In short, from this time 
on the temperance movement developed 
naturally and steadily. 



20 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

It only remains to say, so far as the United 
States is concerned, a passing word on the 
Washingtonian movement, which, in time, 
pressed so closely upon the movement we have 
been considering as to be almost a part of it. 
This movement had its origin in Baltimore in 
April, 1840. A club of six inebriates, which 
had regular meetings in a tavern, appointed a 
committee one night to go and hear a noted 
temperance lecturer who was speaking in the 
city. The committee brought back a report in 
favor of temperance, and, in the discussion 
which followed, the landlord of the tavern took 
a lively part, denouncing all temperance lec- 
turers as hypocrites. This provoked opposi- 
tion and argument, the result being that those 
six inebriates formed themselves into a total 
abstinence society on the spot, and adopted 
the name of " The Washington Society." 
Naturally so extraordinary an event was re- 
ported everywhere the country over, and, wher- 
ever it was reported, it set other drinking 
men to thinking, and led to the formation of 
similar clubs. The time was ripe for the suc- 
cess of the Washingtonian movement. Pre- 
vious movements had made a deep impression. 
Statistics show that in 1840 not one-half the 
quantity of distilled spirits was consumed by 
each person in the United States that had 
been consumed nine years earlier. 

There was a novelty in the new movement 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 21 

which proved " catching," and added greatly to 
its effectiveness. The Washingtonians made 
much use of personal experience. This was a 
unique departure from the conventional method 
of sermon and studied appeal. The reclaimed 
drunkard arose and told the story of his new 
moral life, and that story in its homely state- 
ment of actual fact went straight to the hearts 
of his listeners with a newly discovered power. 
The mistake of the Washingtonians was in re- 
pudiating an alliance with other temperance 
reformers, and especially with clergymen and 
the religious element. Christian men in turn 
were thus driven to withdraw their co-operation. 
The permanent influence of the movement 
thus, unfortunately, proved much shorter lived 
than it should have been. But the statistics of 
what it accomplished, when in the full sweep 
of its influence, are truly remarkable. 

In New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, 
34,000 signatures to the Washingtonian pledge 
were obtained, many being those of confirmed 
inebriates. In Boston the Washingtonians 
numbered 6000 ; in New Orleans, 6000 ; in 
Mobile, 2000 ; in Ohio, 60,000 ; in Kentucky, 
30,000 ; and in Pennsylvania, 29,000. These 
figures give some idea of what this unique 
movement accomplished while it lasted. 

Leaving America and turning our attention 
to the other side of the water we find, what 
will appear at first sight very strange, that 



22 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Ireland was the first European country in 
which the temperance doctrine took root. In 
1818, one Jeffery Sedwards, a nailer of Skibbe- 
reen, County Cork, who had probably in some 
way heard of the American movement, became 
an abstainer. He induced others of his com- 
panions to join him, and they formed a society 
which was governed by written rules, and had 
monthly meetings. In 1824 they built what 
was probably the first temperance hall in the 
world. It was 50 feet long by 20 wide, and 16 
feet high. This modest structure was for the 
sole use of this abstinence society. From it 
the members made missionary excursions into 
the surrounding towns, and sometimes as many 
as 500 walked in their processions. 

A little later than this several distinct asso- 
ciations of separated regions sprang up of 
themselves, apparently, at least, without con- 
cert. Men's minds were turning naturally to 
the subject, and simultaneous results were pro- 
duced without mutual suggestion. This is in 
accordance with the law which Renan, the 
French savant, lays down when he says: " The 
history of the human mind is full of strange 
coincidences, which cause very remote portions 
of the human species, without communication 
with each other, to arrive at the same time at 
almost identical ideas and imaginations. . . We 
should say there are great moral influences 
running through the world like epidemics, with- 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 23 

out distinction of frontier and of race. The 
interchange of ideas in the human species does 
not take place only by book or by direct in- 
struction." Dr. F. R. Lees, in his admirable 
book " The Text-Book of Temperance," points 
out the application of Renan's law to the spon- 
taneous generation of temperance societies, 
and everyone must admit how perfectly it 
applies to the cases instanced. 

Perhaps the first abstinence society which 
attained to large size and influence was estab- 
lished in Preston, Lancashire, in 1832. In 
Preston there lived a well-known franklin, 
Mr. Joseph Livesey, who was, as we should 
say in America, a self-made man. He took 
a great interest in the condition of the work- 
ingmen, out of whose ranks he had himself 
sprung. Some temperance tracts, many of 
which were now being printed, found their 
way to Preston, and impressed themselves 
upon Mr. Livesey. A temperance society, 
under his patronage, was established among 
the young men connected with a school he 
had founded for their free instruction. The 
pledge of this society was abstinence from 
spirits. But the society had been in operation 
for only a short time when a total abstinence 
pledge was added to the other pledge as an 
alternative, through the influence of Mr. Live- 
sey. This was called a " Teetotal " pledge, a 
name which was given to total abstinence by 



24 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" Dicky " Turner, a reformed drunkard, who 
thus expressed the only sort of abstinence 
which he found would do for himself. This 
was the origin of a phrase which is now as 
widely known as temperance itself. The 
movement grew apace, and many societies 
were formed in various parts of England and 
Scotland. Among these was the Youth's Ab- 
stinence Society. It is interesting to note that 
a public debate of this society was held in 
Leeds in 1835 to decide whether the teetotal 
pledge should be the exclusive pledge of the 
society in the future, and that the affirmative 
was carried. This, it will be remembered, 
took place a year before the holding of the 
second national temperance convention in 
America, which adopted the total abstinence 
pledge. Thus, in a country where the reform 
was younger, the advanced ground was reached 
earlier than in the country where the reform 
was started and where it was much the older. 
Without attempting to follow in detail the 
progress of the reform thus successfully in- 
augurated, we find that in nineteen years it had 
made a marked impression on the drinking 
habits of England. Writing in 1854, W. J. 
Conybeare — the author with Dean Howson of 
the celebrated life of St. Paul, who, though 
favoring the reform in some respects by no 
means committed himself to it — states that 
there were probably then more than 3,0x30,000 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 25 

of pledged abstainers in Great Britain and 
Ireland. To prove that this army of abstainers 
meant something, he adds that the amount of 
spirituous liquors sold "is now less by above a 
million of gallons than it was in 1836 ; whereas 
if the consumption had kept pace with the in- 
crease of population, it would be several mil- 
lion gallons more than in 1836." 

We must not leave this period without say- 
ing a word of the work of Father Mathew, the 
famous temperance apostle of Ireland. So 
great was the reverence felt for him that his 
temperance medals were actually worn as 
charms and amulets, like holy relics, they 
being by many believed to possess supernatural 
power. This remarkable man, who had long 
been known as a self-denying philanthropist, 
was induced to devote his life to temperance 
by the pleadings of an earnest Quaker, William 
Martin, who realized the strength of Father 
Mathew's hold upon the popular heart. This 
incident is noteworthy as showing how even 
early in the temperance cause extremes of 
religious belief could meet to further a reform, 
knowing neither sect nor creed, but only 
humanity. Father Mathew began his crusade 
in 1838. He went from city to city holding 
meetings in cathedrals, great throngs being 
won by his eloquence to take the pledge. In 
two years, it is said that two millions of Irish- 
men had joined his temperance society. In 



26 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the English cities of York, Leeds, and London 
he was received with boundless enthusiasm, 
and as a result 600,000 persons took the pledge. 
He numbered among his friends the great and 
influential as well as the lowly, including the 
Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Norfolk, 
Lord Brougham, Dean Stanley, and the Bishop 
of Norwich. He was honored by the Queen 
with a royal pension as an acknowledgment 
of his " meritorious exertions in combating 
intemperance." When in 1849 Father Mathew 
made his long promised visit to America he 
received a continuous ovation from the hour 
of his landing in New York until his return to 
his native land. It was almost like a royal 
progress. As soon as he arrived in Washing- 
ton a resolution was unanimously carried in Con- 
gress admitting him to a seat on the floor of 
the house, the very highest compliment that 
could be paid to a distinguished foreigner. In 
the Senate he was eulogized by men of the 
standing of William H. Seward, Lewis Cass, 
and Henry Clay. Protestants and Catholics 
alike vied with each other in doing him honor. 
Such was the world-wide esteem which his 
devotion to the cause of temperance gained 
him, and such was the prestige which his 
extraordinary services gained for the cause. 

But it must, at the same time, be acknowl- 
edged that while the honors paid to Father 
Mathew were, in England, very exceptional, 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 27 

the reform did not as a rule receive what in 
England they call " the patronage " of the 
higher classes, that is of the nobility and 
gentry, and of the leading men of Church and 
State. In short temperance reform did not 
reach that social standing which is regarded as 
so important on the other side of the water. 
This is illustrated by John B. Gough's two 
visits to England. He made a deep popular 
impression on the occasion of his first visit in 
1857, but, says his biographer, it was difficult 
" to get anybody who was anybody to preside 
at teetotal meetings." On the occasion of his 
second visit in 1878 all this was changed. Men 
of the standing of Earl Cairns, the Duke 
of Westminster, William Lawson, M. P., and 
Canon Farrar were more than willing to lend 
their names and presence to these meetings. 
Thus in these later years temperance has con- 
quered social prejudice in England, and has 
established for itself a status in perhaps the 
most conservative country, socially, in the 
world. This is no mean triumph of principle 
over prejudice, and is not without promise of 
future advance. 

We have thus hastily and imperfectly 
sketched the outlines of the beginning of the 
temperance movement in America and Eng- 
land. We have also traced its evolution from 
a partial to a total abstinence movement. We 
have reviewed cursorily the condition in which 



28 THE BLUE RIB BOX. 

before it awoke to find the Egyptian black- 
ness of a universal drinking habit settling 
down upon it everywhere like a pall. The 
one spectacle presented was that of a race 
sinking into lower and lower depths of sod- 
den drunkenness. But with the establishment 
of the total abstinence movement a radical 
change was wrought. The curse of the drink 
habit was not driven out. but a new force was 
born potent to contend with the old — a new 
gospel was proclaimed of help, and rescue, and 
final salvation. 

The significance of this change must be 
understood to appreciate what is to follow 
in telling the story of the Blue Ribbon. 
It seems to us to-day that much is still left 
to be done ; that the hold of the drink ap- 
petite on multitudes of its victims is still 
largely unshaken. But contrast the restricted 
empire of that appetite to-day with its al- 
most universal empire a short half century 
ago, and we can measure somewhat the 
distance traveled in America and England. 
The temperance reform has passed the years 
of doubt and uncertainty, and has become 
a recognized power in the modern world. 
/;/ hoc signo vinces ! The same principle 
which led forth the reform to its initial 
triumph will surely earn* it on to a final 
consummation of victorv. And it is this 



THE GREAT SOCIAL CHANGE. 29 

principle, that has never failed the reform in 
more than fifty years, which is the basis of 
The Blue Ribbon movement, with all that it 
has done in rescuing tens of thousands upon 
tens of thousands from the bondage of appe- 
tite, and in restoring them to good citizenship 
and happy homes. 

In what has been said there has been, pur- 
posely, no reference made to the long series of 
attempts to embody the fruits of the great re- 
form in strong and stable laws. This is from 
no desire to ignore or minimize all the good 
that has been accomplished. The true temper- 
ance advocate welcomes help from whatever 
quarter and by whatever method aiming to 
induce men to lead temperate lives. But first 
and foremost, the subject is too vast and com- 
plicated for adequate treatment here. It would 
be simply impossible to do it justice. In the 
second place the Blue Ribbon movement is in 
no way involved in these controversial ques- 
tions. It seeks the advance, not of one division 
of the temperance army, but of all divisions, of 
the great army itself. Its primary object is to 
reach the individual and to rescue him from 
his appetite. In accomplishing this it believes 
that those rescued can be trusted to agitate 
for the guarantees necessary to insure future 
advance, and that the public sentiment thus 
created can be trusted to stand firm behind 
those guarantees. 



30 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

In this the Blue Ribbon movement comes 
into closest touch with modern science and 
with Christianity. For modern scientific 
charity is turning more and more to the rescue 
of the individual by personal contact as the 
great hope of substantial progress. On the 
other hand the aim of Christianity, from the 
days of its Founder until to-day, has been to 
implant saving principles in the individual, 
trusting to their spread from him to others.. 
Thus has the miracle of the mustard seed been 
repeated from age to age, until generation after 
generation has been leavened. 



, .■■ ■ 





CHAPTER II. 

THE FOUNDER OF THE BLUE RIBBON MOVE- 
MENT, FRANCIS MURPHY. 

In discussing the philosophy of the Blue 
Ribbon movement, and the success of its 
founder, it is perhaps worth while to empha- 
size the closing thought of the last chapter, 
the change which has passed over modern 
charity methods within a comparatively short 
time. This change is due to the scientific 
study of the problem of rendering effectual 
aid to the ignorant, vicious, and wretched. It 
has become apparent that mere machinery 
conspicuously fails in reaching human distress. 
To send a check to a society, and to expect the 
agents of that society to accomplish all with- 
out further trouble to the one who sends the 
check, is a theory of charitable work very 
generally discarded by modern philanthropy. 
In place of this, there has grown up another 
theory, a working hypothesis, according to 
which one who is really anxious to discharge 
a personal duty to the " submerged tenth " 



$2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

must discharge it by personal contact. And 
so men and women leave homes of refine- 
ment and culture and live among those 
whom they desire to benefit, submit to the 
same hard conditions and share the same 
narrow opportunities, and prove by the object 
lesson of their own lives that it is possible 
under these hard conditions, and with these 
narrow opportunities, to find resources of 
refinement, and culture, and high purpose. 
Many of those who are making this experi- 
ment are among the most fortunate in educa- 
tion and early environment. Well known 
examples of this method are to be found in 
Toynbee Hall, London ; the original experi- 
ment of all, Oxford House, London; and, in 
this country, Andover House, Boston, and 
University Settlement, New York ; and, 
among women, the settlement of college 
graduates in Rivington Street, New York, 
and Hull House, Chicago. The theory of 
all these, and of many others, is that by per- 
sonal contact alone can refinement and devo- 
tion produce an impression upon wretchedness 
and vice. A special study is made of the 
special conditions of each locality, and of the 
individual pecularities of the persons of that 
locality. To the slow but sure spread of new 
ambitions and higher purposes is entrusted 
the faith which is to redeem society, individual 
after individual. 



THE FOUNDER. 33 

Now this theory, which can lay claim to all 
the authority of scientific discovery, common- 
place though it may seem, is exactly that of 
the Blue Ribbon movement, or of " Gospel 
temperance," as originated and developed by 
Francis Murphy. The great success which he 
has achieved along lines so simple and obvious 
is due in the main to his great earnestness and 
power in reaching individuals, to his genius for 
carrying out the modern scientific method of 
personal contact. It is not to be supposed 
that he himself appreciated the fact that in 
returning to the treatment of sin laid down in 
the Gospels at the beginning of Christianity he 
was in reality making a departure in the direc- 
tion of scientific sociology. His is really no 
uncommon case. Men of gifts and genius often 
achieve remarkable careers without in the least 
understanding the philosophy of it. They are 
men of action, not men of thought in the broad 
sense, and accomplish some great mission simply 
by the application of common sense, which is, 
after all, only another name for the most pro- 
found science. Early experiences and their 
own peculiar contact with the world develop in 
them an unusual capacity for unusual work, the 
nature of which they do not themselves recog- 
nize, but the idea of which comes to them 
almost intuitively when the emergency arises. 

This eminently applies to the capacity of 
Francis Murphy to originate and develop the 



34 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

great Blue Ribbon movement. He found the 
temperance cause retarded by numerous" isms " 
and blocked by the divisions of contending 
parties. He simply fell back upon the lessons 
of his own individual experience, and the dic- 
tates of his own common sense. These taught 
him that the world could never be reclaimed 
from the bondage of appetite unless the indi- 
viduals composing it were reclaimed, and that 
the obvious duty laid upon him was to reach 
and reclaim all the individuals who could be 
brought within his influence. The secret of 
making his influence felt was to be found in 
the impressive story of his own reclamation 
as told by himself with great eloquence and 
wealth of illustration, and by the gift of a 
native genius for bringing home to the human 
heart truths which all admit, but to which 
many are practically blind. In a word Francis 
Murphy's secret was the secret of stirring the 
human conscience. 

Murphy's Blue Ribbon movement has been 
called the gospel of " moral suasion." That 
phrase tells the whole story. It has been said 
that Murphy was specially prepared to preach 
this gospel by the circumstances of his own 
life. This statement is amply borne out when 
we come to study that life. As Whitelaw 
Reid wrote in an editorial in the New York 
Tribune about fifteen years ago : " It is im- 
possible to hear Mr. Murphy for five minutes 



THE FOUNDER. 35 

without finding out that he is thoroughly in 
earnest. He speaks to a drunkard like one 
who knows all about the matter. He has 
sounded the depths, and has been rescued from 
them. He makes everyone with whom he 
pleads feel that he came to New York ex- 
pressly to save the hesitating and unhappy 
men before him ; those who have doggedly 
withstood reproaches and abuse, the penalties 
of the law, coldness, neglect, and harsh upbraid- 
ings, melt before him. Then come cheery, en- 
couraging words, practical help, the ever-ready 
hand held out, the tact which even benevolent 
men often lack. Mr. Murphy labors upon the 
principle that to find out whether a man can 
be saved or not, we must try to save him. 
He would hardly be so successful a temperance 
advocate if he were easily discouraged. The 
work, as Mr. Murphy would probably tell us, is 
full of disappointment ; but those who would 
find amusement in the lapse of the drunkard 
might find diversion also in the floundering of 
a drowning man. It is easy for the habitually 
sober to be censorious, but Mr. Murphy is one 
of the habitually sober who is considerate. He 
is zealous, but he is kindly so. He snubs and 
scolds no trembling wretch back to the bar- 
room and its deadly consolations. He is full 
of the great Christian ideas of pity and forgive- 
ness." This is the tribute of one of the fore- 
most editors of America, a man trained from 



3 6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

youth in the school of journalism to close obser- 
vation of successful men and their methods. 
His analysis lays stress upon the same two 
points to which attention has already been 
called, the mastering purpose to reach and save 
the individual man, and the power of experience 
and gift of genius shown in the methods of 
accomplishing it. But neither of these last 
would be of itself sufficient without the added 
endowment of a genuine kindliness of heart 
which never knows the meaning of failure, how- 
ever degraded the object of effort, until all the 
possibilities of human appeal have been ex- 
hausted. 

The career of Francis Murphy began among 
the most picturesque surroundings. He was 
born in a thatched cottage placed on an eleva- 
tion overlooking the city and bay of Wexford, 
Ireland. There was a little garden plot about 
the cottage, devoted, of course, to potatoes and 
a few choice flowers. The scenery had that 
characteristic loveliness for which Ireland is 
so famed. Just below the cottage were the 
quiet waters of the harbor, soon lost in the 
long stretch of the sea. In plain view was 
the quaint old city of Wexford, while back 
of the house were broad fields reaching peace- 
ful hill slopes. Inheriting the impressionable 
character traditional to Ireland, a boy such as 
Francis Murphy could not but develop all the 
natural poetry of his nature in the midst of 



THE FOUNDER. 37 

these surroundings. His parents were poor. 
His father died previous to his birth and left 
the mother to meet the struggle of life alone. 
She seems to have been a woman of no little 
character and pluck, and the affection which 
united mother and son was deep and strong. 
She gave the boy all the opportunities within 
her reach, which, however, were very limited. 
He attended a parish school established by the 
Catholic clergy, but was unfortunate in the 
master in charge. One severe flogging which 
he received from this man left an indelible im- 
pression upon his kindly disposition, and even 
late in life he can scarcely speak of it with 
patience, or count it a wrong forgiven. 

The conditions of his boyhood were directly 
opposed to a future life of temperance. The 
constant use of whisky was familiar to him 
from the time he was old enough to take note 
of anything, and when the hospitable noigin 
was brought out, as some neighbor chanced .to 
call, the boy always had his share, given to him 
watered in a teaspoon. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, however, the 
circumstances of Mr. Murphy's home did not 
admit either of too great indulgence in Irish 
hospitality, or of too severe discipline from 
his school teacher. Very early he had to go 
to work, and, with a characteristic willingness 
shown all through his life to take the first 
work at hand, he entered the employ of his 



3 8 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

mother's landlord. With him the boy was, on 
the whole, a favorite. Had young Murphy re- 
mained with him his employer might very 
probably have found a home career for him. 
But, though kind-hearted, the man was far 
from a desirable person to be entrusted with 
the training of a youth. He had the Irish weak- 
ness, a too great love for whisky, and the boy 
was often a sharer in his drinking bouts. For- 
tunately the life was distastful to young Murphy, 
and the outlook seemed to him unpromising. 
Just what it was that stirred new ambitions 
within him we do not know. Perhaps it was 
the story of some fellow-countryman's success 
in America, which report brought back to him, 
or perhaps it was a spirited young fellow's 
natural ambition to go out and see the world, 
and find what it had in store for him. Not 
improbably the daily sight of the ships passing 
to and fro added emphasis of suggestion to the 
youth's natural bent. At any rate, although 
he was barely sixteen, he made up his mind 
that he ought to emigrate to America. 

" I shall never forget," says Mr. Murphy, in 
telling the story of his decision to leave home, 
" my mother's countenance when I looked 
into her face and presented my request. Dear 
soul, she could hardly speak to me. Her eyes 
quickly filled up and her lips parted so strangely. 
She said, ' Yes, I think it will be best for you to 
go, my boy.' " 



THE FOUNDER. 39 

One short week intervened between this 
decision and the beginning of the voyage. 
We will not linger on the thoughts which dwelt 
in the minds of both, and which have been 
repeated so many thousands of times in that 
land of strong, loving hearts and affectionate 
home circles, where separation across the wide 
ocean is not an occasional incident, but a com- 
mon experience. The night for the boy's 
departure came, and, contrary to the usual cus- 
tom by which neighbors were invited in to 
speed the parting traveler, mother and son 
spent the long yet swiftly passing hours alone. 
At last the jaunting-car drove up, the carefully 
packed trunk was taken out, and it was the 
moment of final farewell. " I had not yet 
received her blessing," says Mr. Murphy. " It 
was really about all she could give me, dear 
soul. You can hardly find a countryman of 
mine in America who would not prize his 
mother's blessing. I sometimes think Ameri- 
cans do not value the parental blessing enough. 
For my mother to put her hand on my head, 
and say, ' God bless you,' was a great deal to 
me. I arose from my seat and walked up to 
where my mother was, and putting my arms 
about her neck, said, ' Mother, now give me 
your blessing before I part from you.' I then 
knelt at her feet, and she, placing her loving 
hand upon my head, said, ' May the blessing 
of God go with you ; and may you remember, 



40 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

my dear boy, that the same sun that shines on 
me shines on you ; that the same God who is 
watching over us in our humble home, will care 
for you in a strange country ; and, oh, may you 
not forget your mother ! ' Thus armed only 
with the amulet of a mother's tender love did 
the boy begin the long voyage over unknown 
waters, and enter on the struggles of a strange 
life in a new world. 

The scene when young Murphy landed in 
New York was in sharp contrast with the 
pathetic leave-taking. His first visit was to a 
bar-room with a newly made friend, and what 
at the outset was simply a little drinking, ap- 
propriate to safely finishing a long voyage, be- 
came a continued spree. The result was that 
the boy's money was soon gone, and his new- 
made friends adopted with all the enthusiasm 
of an Irishman, were the last in the world to 
help him to a position, or even to find for him 
a place to sleep or food to eat. On the advice 
of a friend he concluded to go to Quebec, ex- 
pecting to obtain employment there. He was 
disappointed and drifted to Montreal, where he 
secured a position in a hotel, one which he 
kept for a year or two. . His drinking habits 
obliged him to give it up, and he wandered 
back across the line into New York State. 
There he found employment on a farm. The 
raw Irish boy was green for the work, and 
many a laughable experience he takes pleasure 



THE FOUNDER. 41 

in relating of the time when he was learning to 
drive oxen and to do the various " chores " 
assigned to him. 

At eighteen Mr. Murphy may not have been 
much of a farmer, but he had all an Irishman's 
skill in making love. The object of his devo- 
tion was the daughter of his employer, Eliza- 
beth Jane Ginn, and the two were soon married, 
but secretly, owing to the father's opposition. 
A reconciliation was brought about, however, 
and young Murphy started out in life with as 
good a prospect as falls to the lot of many 
who are not specially favored of fortune. But 
Mr. Murphy was specially favored. For what 
better fortune can befall any man than to marry 
a woman of character and of devotion, who will 
be a helpmeet to him under any and all cir- 
cumstances, who will guide his home and train 
his children on Christian principles, and who 
will prove true to him in the hour of darkness, 
when all the rest of the world passes him by ? 
To her children Mrs. Murphy was the incarna- 
tion of all that is holy and lovable in woman. 
This is their own tender testimony. 

After a few years on the farm, and service in 
the ranks during the Rebellion, young Murphy 
grew impatient of slow progress, and became 
restless and ambitious of larger things. He 
finally removed to Portland, Me., and engaged 
in a hotel venture. This was against the 
strongly expressed wishes of his wife, whose 



42 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

advice he was accustomed to receive with 
consideration, and even deference. Her objec- 
tion to the hotel was its bar. She knew what 
had been her husband's former habits, and 
even if he escaped himself she felt that he was 
helping others toward a downward career. 
But in this case Mr. Murphy stood on the 
right of a man to choose his own business for 
himself, and his wife was obliged to acquiesce 
in his decision. The result proved how well 
founded had been her fears. At first Mr. 
Murphy kept his promise not to do any 
drinking himself. But little by little the 
temptation overcame him, and the old habits 
renewed their grip. He had at first made 
money, his genial ways adding greatly to the 
popularity of his house. But his savings 
were soon swallowed up when he became his 
own best customer. Then followed an ex- 
perience whose shadow has never been lifted 
from the life of a most tender-hearted, re- 
morseful man. While far from blameworthy. 
by the equities of the case or by the judgment 
of all who knew the facts, this experience 
added flame to his appetite and his downward 
career was swift and unchecked. His family 
touched the depths of direst poverty, and he 
himself was placed in an institution. With him 
it was literally true that the darkest hour pre- 
cedes the dawn. When the world had turned 
its back on him, when the friends of his pros- 



THE FOUNDER. 43 

perity had deserted him, when hope seemed 
to have left him except for the staunch loyalty 
of his dear wife, he came under the influence 
of one of those noble men who believe that 
the hour of direst distress and seeming aban- 
donment is the hour of all others to say the 
encouraging word and extend the helping hand. 
This man was Captain Cyrus Sturdivant. " He 
placed his arm about my neck," relates Mr. 
Murphy, "and said, 'Mr. Murphy, give your 
heart to Christ and all will be well with you.' 
Then a ray of hope came to me. We all, Cap- 
tain Sturdivant, my wife, and children, knelt 
down together and supplicated God's throne 
for divine mercy and grace. The work was 
then and there done. I arose from my knees 
with an evidence of God's acceptance of me. 
Blessed be his name!" 

From that hour Francis Murphy was a re- 
formed man. He went back to the world once 
more strong in the faith of a higher power than 
his own will to enable him to keep the pledge 
he had made, and to control his appetite. It is 
no wonder, when one thinks how Mr. Murphy 
was reclaimed, that he should lay so great 
stress upon the necessity that religion and tem- 
perance reform should go hand in hand. 

One deep sorrow it was his still to know. 
The loyal wife, who had been true to him 
through all his experiences of light and dark- 
ness, survived the hour of his reclamation only 



44 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a few weeks. But it must be a great comfort 
to him to recall that, before she was taken 
away, she knew of his restoration to manhood 
and sobriety. 

Francis Murphy's career as a temperance 
advocate began at the threshold of his reclaimed 
life. He did not know that he was an orator, 
but a number of gentlemen interested in the 
temperance cause, who had become acquainted 
with his case, persuaded him to go upon the 
platform and tell his story. They felt assured 
that the simple recital of what he had been, and 
what he was, could not fail to move others to 
take his stand, and to warn many from running 
the great risk. The result more than vindicated 
their judgment. 

Francis Murphy delivered his first temper- 
ance lecture in the Portland City Hall, April 
3, 1870, and from that evening dates the birth 
of the Blue Ribbon movement which has added 
millions of signatures to the temperance pledge. 
The hall was crowded, even packed. Some 
were curious and some were sympathetic, but 
all were eager to hear him, for his career was 
known throughout the length and breadth of 
the city. At first somewhat embarrassed, 
Murphy soon lost himself in the story and its 
subject, and ended in the discovery that he was 
eloquent, pathetic, and humorous. The great 
audience was strongly moved, and over sixty 
applications followed to lecture in other 



THE FOUNDER 45 

towns of the State. His career was assured. 
He went on from success to success. He had 
been a temperance orator for less than a year 
when he received a compliment that might well 
have flattered a veteran. The place was a 
large camp-meeting at Old Orchard Beach. 
After Mr. Murphy had finished his temperance 
address, Dr. Dio Lewis, the famous lecturer, 
was called upon to follow. Dr. Lewis arose 
and simply said : " I cannot make a speech 
after Mr. Murphy. I have heard speeches for 
forty years ; I have been on the rostrum myself 
for twenty-five years ; but I have never heard 
such a speech as his to-day. In God's name, 
keep that man telling his story all over the 
land, every night, as long as his breath and 
strength are spared." 

A quotation made from one of Mr. Murphy's 
speeches delivered about this time may be 
interesting as showing their characteristics. 
The following is from an impromptu effort 
delivered from the balcony of a hotel at At- 
lantic City, and is a fair specimen of his average 
style of effort : " I am glad that I am here 
to-night to speak to you on this important 
subject of temperance, for I feel that each and 
all of you can do something toward reclaiming 
those who need wise counsel and genuine love 
to dissuade them from their folly. Let us seek 
the truth. It is precious — more precious than 
the wealth of the world. When we find it, let 



46 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

us disseminate it. Let us show the poor, 
unfortunate man, who is being dragged down 
into the sloughs of poverty and disgrace 
through a diseased appetite, what must be the 
result. Speak kindly to him, and try, try hard, 
to save him. We, in our humble places, can 
make the world better for having lived in it. 
The great ocean which looms up before us to- 
night thrills us with its beauty and grandeur. 
It touches the divinity within us — that 
divinity which teaches us to be purer, better, 
and more truthful. In all nature we find les- 
sons of noble import. In all things the loving 
kindness of God's handiwork is to be seen. 
This world is not so bad as we would make it ; 
for it is a good world. This is a world that is 
a schoolhouse. Temptation is on the right 
hand and on the left hand. The man who 
does not fall when there is no temptation is 
not deserving our thanks ; but the man who 
resists temptation is entitled to our heartiest, 
our sincerest, commendation." 

This address embodies many of the ideas 
which characterized Murphy's Blue Ribbon 
movement from the start, and which have been 
conspicuous in it through its long and wonder- 
ful development. First and foremost of these 
ideas is the appeal to the religious sentiment, 
not in any sectarian sense, but simply from the 
conviction that only a higher power than man 
can be relied upon to control a diseased appe- 



THE FOUNDER. 47 

tite and to reclaim its victim. This was the 
lesson of Murphy's own experience, which he 
has never for a moment lost sight of through- 
out his career. The second of these dominat- 
ing ideas is the appeal to kindness, to love. No 
outcast can sink so far in degradation, in Mr. 
Murphy's philosophy, that the hand pressure 
of true interest and encouragement can fail to 
touch the heart. This, too, has been a lesson 
which every year of Mr. Murphy's experience 
on the platfarm has only the more strongly 
confirmed. Again, Mr. Murphy always invokes 
wherever it is possible the active sympathy of 
good women and their great influence over the 
erring and wayward. Finally, Mr. Murphy has 
adopted the theory of the old Washingtonian 
movement, the bearing of personal testimony 
to the blessings of reform. Modeling his 
gatherings after the Methodist classroom, he 
makes them " experience meetings." He 
manages to get some short speech or word out 
of all of his converts. The audiences know 
who these converts are, and their personal 
testimony is uniquely impressive, often much 
more so than generalities, however eloquently 
phrased. One word of such homely, stammer- 
ing testimony clinches as nothing else can the 
eloquent appeal of orator or preacher. 

Mr. Murphy became a national figure some 
six years or so after his own reclamation, when 
he inaugurated the historic movement which 



48 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

swept Pittsburg in the fall and winter of 
1876-77. The time was ripe for the work and 
the crisis demanded it. The depression of 1873 
was still felt, especially in a manufacturing 
center like Pittsburg. The times were hard, 
work was uncertain and hours were short. 
Many men were idle, and this idleness led to 
general drinking, as is always the case. The 
saloons did a rushing business, while every- 
body else was complaining of dullness. Many 
leading men in the city felt that something 
must be done. They found a leader in a 
scholarly gentleman, George Woods, LL. D., 
Chancellor of the Western University. He 
called together a number of gentlemen for 
consultation. They formed a temperance 
society. In November, 1876, they secured 
the service of Mr. Murphy and appointed a 
committee to arrange for his campaign. 

Mr. Murphy's first lecture was delivered in 
the Opera House. Those following it were 
delivered in various churches. The favorite 
church was the Fifth Avenue M. E., which 
was afterward, in memory of the great temper- 
ance results there achieved, lovingly christened 
the "Old Home." In the fourth week of the 
movement, 5000 persons had signed the 
pledge ; in the fourteenth week the number 
reached the astonishing total of 40,000. 

The movement in Pittsburg owed its excep- 
tional success to the fact that from the very 



THE FOUNDER. 49 

beginning it commanded the support and 
countenence of some of the best known men 
in the city. Among these may be mentioned 
the Hon. J. K. Moorhead, James Parks, Jr., 
Joseph Dilworth, Colonel Richard Realf, 
George Woods, Jr., Colonel Hetherington, and 
Joseph Hunter. 

The Pittsburg movement has stood the test 
of time. The agitation was not only far-reach- 
ing, it was thorough as well. The interest then 
awakened has never been allowed to die out. 
In 1877 there were about a thousand saloons 
in Pittsburg. To-day there are less than a 
hundred, under a strict enforcement of the high- 
license law, for which a temperance public senti- 
ment prepared the way. The difference be- 
tween then and now is to be traced otherwise, 
in changed social habits — as testified to in a 
letter received recently from a Pittsburg gentle- 
man, who was prominent in Mr. Murphy's great 
campaign. 

For one thing, he notes, before the Murphy 
movement the habit of drinking during busi- 
ness hours was almost universal. When men 
met to discuss some matter or arrange for some 
enterprise the inspiration of the social glass 
was almost always invoked. Now the invita- 
tion to go out and " take something" is, on 
the occasion of such business meetings, the 
exception rather than the rule. Many of the 
leading men of Pittsburg, even some of those 



50 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

who are not total abstainers, are uncompro- 
misingly opposed to drinking during business 
hours. This change of business sentiment 
dates from the time of Mr. Murphy's visit, and 
its persistence is a tribute to the strength of the 
influence which came from his movement. 

It is something of a digression, having only 
an indirect bearing on the Blue Ribbon move- 
ment, but it is at the same time interesting to 
note in this connection, that the cause of prac- 
tical temperance is receiving no little assistance 
in these days from the demands of simple busi- 
ness. In a great variety of employments, 
especially in railroading, it is coming to be 
more and more appreciated, by those responsi- 
ble for the management, that drinking habits 
unfit men for positions of trust. On many 
railroads the requirement is absolute that there 
shall be no drinking while on duty among the 
trainmen, and little drinking while off duty. 
The fact that a trainman is known to be guilty 
of over-indulging, even occasionally, no matter 
how good a man he may be in other respects, is 
counted sufficient to cause his discharge. This 
may be regarded by many as a small thing. 
But when one comes to think of it carefully it 
will be seen to be a sign of no little hope for 
the future. This modern world is first and 
foremost a business world. The demands of 
business are increasingly dominating all our 
methods and customs. And those who will 



THE FOUNDER. 51 

not conform to these demands are bound to be 
left behind in the push for advancement. 
Ambitious men are seeing this and are govern- 
ing themselves accordingly. The discipline 
which enforces temperance as a matter of busi- 
ness principle is slowly but surely spreading 
from employment to employment. All such 
departures as this are substantial aids to the 
progress of the cause. 

The point here made is strongly put by Mr. 
E. L. Godkin, the well-known editor of the 
New York Evening Post, in the course of a 
recent address : 

" It is said, and I believe with truth, that 
nothing has done so much to promote temper- 
ance as the greatly increased use of machinery 
in modern industry. One of the peculiarities 
of all good machines is that they cannot be 
managed by drunken men. The touch of a 
drunken hand sets them wild. A very large 
proportion of the skilled labor of the world is 
now employed either in the superintendence, 
or in the aid, of machinery. An artisan, there- 
fore, who wishes to get and keep employment, 
has, as a rule, to keep sober. The anger of a 
mismanaged machine is so serious in its conse- 
quences that no employer can afford to over- 
look even a single case of intemperance. The 
man who drinks, goes, and cannot come back. 
So that, by a beautiful process of artificial 
selection, all the good places in the world are 



52 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

naturally passing into the hands of the sober 
men. This has been brought about by the 
increasing damage done by drunkenness — if I 
may use the expression. It is a fine illustration, 
as I see it, of the moral government of the 
world, of the way in which even the dark things 
of life assist in the progress of the age." 

It is, therefore, not out of place to stop for a 
moment, as we have done here, to note a hope- 
ful sign for the future, although it may not be 
in line with the particular form of agitation 
which we are considering. It is, indeed, only 
as we take as broad views as we are able to that 
we can hope to gauge the sweep of the larger 
tendencies which are making for good in this 
world, while we are so often discouraged by 
the apparently hopeless strength of the things 
which make for evil. 

But to return to Mr. Murphy and his work 
at Pittsburg. While, as has been said, the 
movement made a deep impression on the 
business life of the city, it reached out and 
touched the masses as no other preceding 
movement had ever done. When Mr. Murphy 
finally departed there was left behind him an 
army of 80,000 signers to the Blue Ribbon 
pledge. Many of these signers were young 
men just at the dangerous period of forming 
habits of dissipation, while not a few were 
reclaimed from the ranks of degradation and 
debauchery. For these last Mr. Murphy had 



THE FOUNDER. 53 

a peculiar sympathy, owing to the experience 
of his own life of dissipation, and over them 
he exercised a peculiarly strong influence. He 
felt that it was his mission to save the wretched. 
In a speech delivered not long after the close 
of the Pittsburg campaign he thus expresses 
his own purposes : " I think to-night, in this 
great work of reform, how much we need 
Christian charity and Christian sympathy to be 
able to measure the strength of appetite. Men 
are not brought to degradation immediately, 
but after years of respectability and years of 
pleasant life, and of passing back and forth 
through the various grades of reputable society. 
The appetite is cultivated, and it grows until it 
becomes a passion, and the victims lose control 
of themselves, and then they are, as it were, 
kicked out on the street, and it is said : ' You 
are a miserable drunkard, and good for noth- 
ing.' The case of these men has often been 
looked upon as entirely hopeless, and no one 
is found to care for them. I have faith to 
believe that this movement of ours is in a sense 
a special call from God himself to redeem the 
unfortunate drunkard. While other great tem- 
perance movements have perhaps mainly 
sought to keep men from becoming drunkards, 
I believe that it is the special mission of this 
movement, by the grace of God, to quicken the 
Church, and the hearts of humanity, toward the 
outcast. I believe our mission will compel us 



54 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

to go out into the world and save such of these 
poor wanderers as we can." 

It was in accordance with the idea of this 
mission that a great Christmas feast was spread, 
on the first Christmas after the movement was 
inaugurated, for all who would, or could come. 
The Sunday-school room of the " Old Home,", 
the Methodist church where the meetings had 
been held, was converted into a big dining 
room. In all 1205, a crowd largely made up of 
the great unwashed, were entertained. The idea 
originally had been to distribute dinner tickets 
of admittance. But these by constant and rough 
handling became so soiled and torn that a frag- 
ment of one was accepted as a passport. As 
a result there was no discrimination between 
applicants, and many of the toughest speci- 
mens passed the pleasantest and soberest 
Christmas they had ever known. They were 
largely " Coxeyites," as we should say in modern 
phrase, and a great many of them who were re- 
claimed to sober and industrious lives proved 
that even Coxeyites are not outside the pale of 
kindly Christian influence. 

It was the same story when Mr. Murphy 
next undertook a reform movement in Phila- 
delphia, for the success of the Pittsburg move- 
ment had given him a national reputation, and 
it was only natural that Philadelphia should 
next claim his efforts. He was invited by a 
number of leading men, prominent among 



THE FOUNDER. 55 

whom was Mr. John Wanamaker, ex-Post- 
master General. It was on Wednesday evening, 
March 7, 1877, that he made his first appear- 
ance at the Academy of Music. The great 
hall was crowded by a brilliant and appreciative 
audience. A leading citizen and well known 
philanthropist, George H. Stewart, presided, 
while the Rev. G. Dana Boardman was a repre- 
sentative clergyman who lent his name and 
influence to the occasion. Mr. Murphy was in- 
troduced by Colonel Hetherington, one of his 
best known Pittsburg converts, who told of the 
movement in his own city and of the great re- 
sults which had been accomplished. When Mr. 
Murphy arose to deliver his address his own 
appearance made no small impression before 
he had spoken a word. He was then a man 
of five feet ten in height, of robust, massive 
physique, with broad shoulders, a head covered 
with closely cut iron-gray hair, brow broad, 
eyes deep-set and very black, eyebrows black, 
and mouth concealed behind a coal black 
mustache. His magnetic frankness spoke in 
every movement and gesture. The eager in- 
terest to hear him held the great audience in 
perfect stillness from the beginning. Every 
tone of his deep and finely modulated voice 
was carried to the farthest corner of the big 
building. At times he was humorous, at times 
he was intensely pathetic, as he told again the 
story of his own fall and reclamation, and his 



5^ THE BLUE RIBBON. 

audience answered to his every mood. When 
he had concluded there were few dry eyes to 
be seen. At his invitations hundreds pressed 
forward to sign the Blue Ribbon pledges. 

What was true of the initial meeting was 
true of those that followed it. These latter 
were held principally in the Bethany Sunday- 
school building, the Sunday school which Mr. 
Wanamaker has made famous. To go into the 
details of the movement would be simply to 
repeat again the story of the movement in 
Pittsburg. It reached all classes and condi- 
tions from the highest to the lowest, and, when 
it was over, a total of 100,000 signers of the 
Blue Ribbon pledge had been added to the 
Gospel temperance army. 

One of the most interesting features of the 
movement in Philadelphia was the plan of 
giving Sunday breakfasts to the unfortunate, 
a happy idea of Mr. Murphy's own. He be- 
lieved heartily in the gospel of physical com- 
fort as an aid to the gospel of sobriety. A 
reporter speaking of the first breakfast, which 
was served under the auspices of the National 
Christian Temperance Union in the annex 
building of the Academy of Fine Arts, states 
that " by actual count it was partaken of by 
543 men, 25 women, several children, and a 
couple of babies ; these last, although small 
in number and in their mother's laps, being 
the most demonstrative in the expression 



THE FOUNDER. 57 

of their gratitude." An interesting feature of 
this breakfast was the presence of Captain 
Sturdivant, the true philanthropist who had 
held out the hand of encouragement and sym- 
pathy to Mr. Murphy when he was completely 
in the power of his appetite. The pleasure 
which Captain Sturdivant must have felt in 
seeing his own act of Christly love thus multi- 
plied by thousands through the instrumentality 
of the man he had saved, is not one to which 
expression can be given in words. 

It may be added that Philadelphia was in a 
way prepared for the emergency, if this is a 
proper word to describe a great temperance 
movement, by the fact that there already 
existed in that city a number of coffee houses. 
These proved admirable aids to the work, giv- 
ing the reformed men places of temperance 
resort where they could obtain for a small 
price good healthily cooked food, and the 
honest stimulus of coffee. This feature of 
temperance reform has now become so widely 
recognized as an invaluable assistance in con- 
firming the work of reclamation that it would 
be superfluous to dwell on its excellence here. 
But at that time it was more of a rarity, and 
it is interesting to note that it was associated 
with almost the beginning of the Blue Ribbon 
movement. 

To follow Mr. Murphy's work in detail after 
his Philadelphia campaign is not within the 



58 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

compass of the present work. He visited 
Elmira and Troy, and in both places the move- 
ment met with the same success as in Pitts- 
burg and Philadelphia. We then find him 
making an excursion into New England and 
beginning a campaign in Springfield, Mass. 
By this time he needed no introduction, and 
we are not surprised that many of the most 
prominent clergymen of the city should have 
given him a hearty Godspeed. It is unneces- 
sary to say, however, that the fact that New 
England is conservative made the innovation 
of a temperance revival of the Murphy type an 
interesting experiment. It was an experiment 
which proved its own best justification. Some of 
the clergymen who indorsed him at that time are 
well known to the Christian public as men little 
given to patronizing ethical novelties. Among 
them maybe mentioned the Rev. Dr. Twombly, 
the Rev. W. T. Eustis, the Rev. Dr. S. G. Buck- 
ingham, and the Rev. Washington Gladden. 

Perhaps what Washington Gladden has to 
say will carry as much weight with thoughtful 
and progressive people as the estimate of any 
other one man either in or out of the pulpit. 
Dr. Gladden's well known interest in social 
problems, in the science of which he now takes 
rank as an expert, gives a special value to his 
indorsement. There was nothing " halfway " 
about it. He said : " I believe in Francis 
Murphy through and through. I think he has 



THE FOUNDER. 59 

got hold of the right end of the temperance 
problem. The work he is doing cannot be 
estimated too highly. Of course there will be 
some discount to it ; some converts will go 
back, but many will hold out. I believe in 
moral forces as the only ones that work perma- 
nent results. Mr. Murphy's bringing in of the 
religious elements is putting it upon the right 
basis, and the only basis upon which it will 
stand. The aggregate result must be good, 
as in many cases the reform will be permanent. 
I think the sale of liquor is prevented a great deal 
more effectually by the means which Mr. Mur- 
phy employs than can be done by legislation." 
Whether one goes to the same extent as 
Dr. Gladden or not, in declaring that the sale 
of liquor can best be curtailed by indirect 
means, all must agree with his estimate of the 
power of moral suasion as the one effective 
influence to be relied upon in the final analysis 
for the reclamation of society. That goes to 
the bottom, while other methods can at best 
but touch the surface, and prepare the way 
for the work upon the individual heart and 
conscience. There is in this insistence upon 
individual work as the basal principle of tem- 
perance progress no disparagement implied of 
other methods. The world is wide, and there 
is room in it for all who have any effective 
form of temperance campaign to urge. The 
aim of the Blue Ribbon is to unite all in the 



60 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

common cause without regard to badge or 
creed, by showing how harmoniously such 
temperance methods as those advocated by 
Mr. Murphy supplement all others. 

It is not intended to follow farther in detail 
the history of Mr. Murphy's campaign up to 
the time of the great work he accomplished 
in England. While Mr. Hayes was President 
Mr. Murphy visited Washington, and addressed 
an immense audience from the steps of the 
Capitol. On this occasion he was accom- 
panied by his second son, " Ned " Murphy. 
Laying his hands on the boy's head in the 
presence of that immense throng the father 
dedicated him to the cause of the Blue Rib- 
bon. It is very probable that this dedication 
was more of a hope than an expectation. In 
the boy's case at least there was no anticipa- 
tion at all of what the future had in store, or 
of any particular intention or resolve to follow 
his father's career. Could the father have 
seen what the son's career was to be, could he 
have caught a moment's glimpse behind the 
curtain of the future, how great would have 
been the satisfaction of beholding himself and 
his work duplicated in the coming years ; of 
realizing that, when time began to lay a heavy 
hand upon him, a young and lusty manhood 
would take up the burden as he dropped it, 
and carry- on the Blue Ribbon movement with 
fresh enthusiasm and to new triumphs. 



THE FOUNDER. 61 

At this time also Mr. Murphy and " Ned " 
were guests at the White House, and enjoyed 
the hospitality of the gracious lady who then 
presided in the mansion of the nation. The 
incident made a deep impression upon " Ned " 
naturally enough, being such an unusual ex- 
perience for a boy. It may have been one of 
those quiet, unobtrusive influences which often 
go farther than we think toward determining 
a boy's bent and his future career. To find 
that those who are high in position pay out- 
ward respect to the cause of good morals and 
its advocates cannot but influence those who 
are at an impressionable age. Be this as it 
may, the visit resulted in Mr. Murphy's obtain- 
ing an indorsement from President Hayes, 
which proved of the greatest service to him 
when he entered upon his campaign in Eng- 
land. This indorsement is as follows : 

Fremont, O., August i, 1881. 
"My Dear SIR: This will introduce to 
you the distinguished temperance advocate, 
Francis Murphy of Johnstown, Pa. His labors 
and great success are too well known to need 
words from me. I am confident that he 
has done, and is doing, great good, and cheer- 
fully commend him to the friends of the 
temperance cause. 

" Yours sincerely, 

"R. B. Hayes." 



62 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Just following Mr. Murphy's success in 
Philadelphia a question arose which caused 
him no little concern. He was invited to enter 
the general lecture field under the auspices of 
well known bureaus- at a high rate of pay for 
his services. He at first accepted some of 
these offers, and proved no small drawing card 
on the lecture platform. But the friends of 
temperance protested. They felt that power 
and eloquence such as his should be dedicated 
to the one work of rescue, and that no outside 
engagements should be allowed to come in to 
lessen the influence for good of such a devo- 
tion. Although Mr. Murphy was in by no 
means affluent circumstances, and needed every 
dollar he could consistently make, he yielded 
to the force of these, perhaps unreasonable, pro- 
tests, and withdrew from the general lecture 
field. He thus honored himself and the cause, 
and proved the sincerity of his own devotion 
to it. 

The incidents of Mr. Murphy's career are 
not always pathetic and tragic. It has been 
lightened up at times in its intense seriousness 
by things humorous and absurd. Being an 
Irishman his wit was usually equal to any 
demand upon it, however unexpected. But 
at times he has been known to be actually 
"floored." This was the casein 1878, when, 
as will be remembered, the question of what 
had become of the stolen remains of A. T. 



THE FOUNDER. 6$ 

Stewart greatly exercised the public, and was 
widely discussed in the press. At this time 
Mr. Murphy addressed a great temperance 
meeting in Cooper Union, New York City. 
He had reached his climax in which he had 
pictured alcohol as a criminal arrested and 
dragged to trial before the bar of justice. 
After detailing the various aspects of such a 
trial, the terrible arraignment, the damning 
evidence, the weak defense, the charge of the 
judge, the conviction of the malefactor, he sud- 
denly turned to the audience as the tribunal 
and thundered forth, " What will you do with 
it?" There was a short, impressive silence. 
Again Mr. Murphy thundered forth, " What 
will you do with it?" This time the silence 
was shorter yet, for an old Irish woman on the 
front seat answered with inimitable brogue : 
" Put him in Mr. Stewart's coffin." The effect 
was electric. The audience and Mr. Murphy 
himself were convulsed. Whether that meet- 
ing closed with a single signature to the pledge 
history fails to record, and Mr. Murphy can 
never be induced to tell. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE MAKING OF A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR, 
THOMAS EDWARD MURPHY. 

PERHAPS no one would seem to a stranger 
so little like the ordinary type of temperance 
orator as Thomas Edward Murphy. There is 
nothing in the least professional about him. 
In looks, bearing, and dress there is nothing 
to suggest his peculiar mission. One usually 
thinks of a temperance orator as almost neces- 
sarily a reformed drunkard. So many men, of 
whom Gough and Francis Murphy are typical, 
have owed so large a part of their success to 
the thrilling intensity and dramatic power of 
the story of their own fall and salvation, that 
one has come to expect such a personal history 
as a matter of course. This almost instinctive 
impression does injustice no doubt to many 
men who have been a power on the temperance 
platform. But so general is this impression 
that almost spontaneously the question arises 
when one first hears a temperance orator: 
"How long is it since he was reformed?" 

Such a question as this would never be sug- 
gested by meeting "Ned" Murphy. He has 
6 4 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 65 

that cleanness of look which forbids the thought 
that dissipation has ever left a black mark upon 
his past. And in this no doubt is to be found 
in part the secret of his power. He approaches 
an audience not from the separate caste — if one 
may so call it — of the man who has touched 
low depths of degradation and high felicity of 
reclamation, but from the every-day standpoint 
of a common humanity, that of men who have 
met the temptations of ordinary life, who have 
sometimes fallen and have sometimes escaped, 
but who on the whole have maintained a credit- 
able moral standard, neither greatly superior 
nor inferior to that of their neighbors. "Ned" 
Murphy, therefore, is in touch with the ordi- 
nary life of the ordinary man, while he reaches 
the degraded and hopeless through the power 
of an intense appreciation of what their condi- 
tion is, and an intense sympathy with their 
efforts to regain their manhood — an apprecia- 
tion and sympathy reached by observation 
rather than by experience, from the outside 
rather than from the inside. 

There have been those who have held that 
there is no power so potent on the temperance 
platform as the simple story of a reformed man. 
And certainly no movement for temperance can 
accomplish great results of which such stories 
are not a prominent feature. But it is a mis- 
take to suppose that these stories are the only 
talisman of reform, or that they can take the 



66 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

place of other influences which make for right 
living. Just here was, perhaps, the most fatal 
mistake made by the old Washingtonian move- 
ment. On the platform of that movement any 
other exhortation or entreaty besides that of 
the reclaimed drunkard was discouraged and in 
effect rejected. The result was that there at 
once arose a divorce between the band of re- 
formed men and clergymen and philanthropists 
who had had no need of reformation. The 
staying power of the first influence was insuffi- 
cient, and thus the movement died prematurely 
because it was cut off from those permanent 
influences which foster and further all success- 
ful reforms. 

As has been already intimated, the power of 
"Ned" Murphy lies most of all in his person- 
ality. The secret of that personality is indi- 
cated by the fact that it is soon the easiest 
thing in the world for all who come in contact 
with him to call him "Ned." We all under- 
stand how much is meant when a public man 
comes thus naturally to be spoken of in a 
familiar way. The case of Mr. Blaine is an 
illustration in point. He was known every- 
where as "Jim" Blaine, not in a slighting way, 
but because people recognized something in 
his personality which brought him close to 
themselves, a something we call "magnetism." 
In a smiliar way "Ned" Murphy comes close to 
the hearts of the people whom he addresses, 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 67 

and the token of that nearness is the general 
impulse to call him "Ned." 

Like many another who has found a special 
mission in life, "Ned" Murphy's development 
was along natural lines and was of a kind, un- 
consciously to himself, to prepare him for the 
place he was destined to fill. He is a self- 
made man, in the best sense of an often-abused 
phrase. His school was the school of experi- 
ence, and he early learned to read human 
nature and to make the most of all the oppor- 
tunities which came in his way. 

Thomas Edward Murphy was born in New 
York City, July 18, 1858, and attended the pub- 
lic schools in that city. He was the second of 
his father's six children, the others being: Wil- 
liam J. Murphy, so well known for his effective 
temperance work in the West; Mrs. Wayland 
Trask of Brooklyn, N. Y. ;' Robert S. Murphy, 
prosecuting attorney of Cambria County, Pa. ; 
Mrs. F. J. Holmes of Indianapolis, Ind. ; and 
John F. Murphy of Louisville, Ky. 

While all the children were quite young the 
dark shadow of the father's intemperance fell 
across the family life, and hardly had that 
father been reclaimed when a greater calamity 
still befell, the death of a dearly loved and ten- 
derly cherished mother. Thus it happened 
that the Murphy boys learned the necessity of 
work when other boys of their age were learn- 
ing their lessons in school. "Ned" obtained 



63 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

employment, when only about twelve, in the 
office of Dr. Seth C. Gordon of Portland, Me., 
a prominent physician in that city. There was 
no false pride about the boy. The ambition to 
do everything which it came in his way to do 
was his from the start. He was not above sell- 
ing newspapers, or blacking boots, to add to 
his earnings. He also collected bills for the 
doctor, who generously gave him a ten per 
cent, commission. Thus sometimes his in- 
dustry and smartness were rewarded by an 
income of twenty dollars a week. He had 
every opportunity to become a doctor himself. 
A student in the office took an interest in the 
bright, clever, winsome boy, and heard him 
recite every day, encouraging him to think 
that some day he would be a doctor too. But 
after a year and a half his roving disposition 
and desire to see the world proved too strong 
for him, and when scarcely fourteen he joined 
his older brother Will, and they went to Con- 
cord, N. H., to learn the trade of granite cut- 
ters. But the brothers stayed in Concord 
less than a year. The influence of James G. 
Blaine, a friend of Francis Murphy's, obtained 
for them positions as journeymen granite 
cutters in the government yard on Dick's 
Island, where "Ned," at between fifteen and 
sixteen, drew wages of $3.50 a day. These 
were pretty large earnings for a mere boy, and 
naturally enough "Ned" and his brother fell 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 69 

into too convivial habits, played billiards too 
much, drank beer too much, and became 
irregular workmen. "The government decided 
to dispense with our services finally," as "Ned" 
puts it humorously, "and very much humili- 
ated we two retired into private life." At this 
time the father of the boys was in Rhode 
Island, and knew nothing of the unkind fate 
which had befallen them. While Will went to 
Manchester, and obtained work in a stoneyard 
there, "Ned" managed, after a time, to secure 
again a government place on Hurricane Island, 
where he was eventually rejoined by Will. 
The boys, however, continued to be wild, and 
kept their ways a secret from their father. 
But they were not allowed to continue these 
courses unchecked. The father inquired 
about them and asked a friend, a Baptist 
clergyman, to look them up. He saw how 
things were going with the boys, and per- 
suaded them to join their father in Free- 
port, 111. 

Just at this point, although a little out of 
the chronological order, it seems appropriate 
to relate an incident which shows that one can 
never tell what the future has in store. While 
the two boys were drifting about, before their 
father's friend got a grip upon them, the older, 
Will, had secured a place in a large New 
Britain factory. Here "Ned" joined him a 
short time afterward. "Ned" tells how, like 



7° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

many another young man probably in his 
place, as he formed one of the crowd that 
streamed out of the yard when the whistle 
blew, and looked up at the office windows 
where the managers had their luxurious quar- 
ters, he thought enviously that those managers 
were the biggest men in the world, and won- 
dered if it would ever be his good fortune to 
be half as big a man as they. Some fifteen 
years passed away and "Ned" Murphy, no 
longer the common workman seeking a job, 
but the celebrated temperance orator whose 
fame had spread through the land, opened a 
campaign in New Britain. One of the leading 
men of the city to come forward and indorse 
the movement was Mr. Landers, the head of 
the great cutlery concern of Landers, Frary & 
Clark, the very concern in which, as a young 
fellow, he had held a humble place. Perhaps 
no incident in "Ned" Murphy's life has 
afforded him sincerer gratification, or has been 
more justly a cause of pride, than the position 
taken by Mr. Landers, for it was more than 
an indorsement. Engaging in the movement 
at first simply for the purpose of encouraging 
his men to form habits of temperance, Mr. 
Landers soon became convinced, as he himself 
has wittily put it, that "preaching temperance 
to the other fellow" was a complete and dismal 
failure. To make one's influence actually felt 
one must practice temperance as well as 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 7 1 

preach it, must make the sacrifice which he 
calls upon others to make. So interested did 
he become in the Murphy movement in New 
Britain, so impressed was he with the great 
good which that movement was accomplishing, 
that he found himself ready for the sacrifice of 
his own comfort and the liberty which he had 
advocated for others. So he threw his per- 
sonal influence into the scale of good morals, 
signed the pledge, and put on the Blue Ribbon 
It was perhaps the proudest moment in "Ned" 
Murphy's life as a temperance advocate. The 
man to whom he had once looked up as so far 
above him was now under his own influence, 
and had identified himself with the movement 
of which he was the head. 

But to resume the thread of the story. The 
two boys having joined their father at Free- 
port, after a brief period practically parted 
company. Will, the elder, at first went to 
work upon an Illinois farm, but later was 
sent to school at Abingdon, 111., afterward 
attending the seminary at Pennington, N. J., 
and completing his education at the Pennsyl- 
vania Academy at Chester. But "Ned" was 
not of the "settling down" kind. He had then 
the same energetic, ambitious, highly nervous 
disposition, which, when directed into suitable 
channels, has proved to be such a power for 
good. But it is much easier to turn such a 
disposition to account in a man of principle 



72 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

and fixed purpose than in a youth just enter- 
ing on manhood. So it came about that 
"Ned" began to shift for himself again after a 
brief stay with his father. He moved to Ster- 
ling, 111., found a partner, one Shepard, and set 
up in business as a "butter broker." ' His ver- 
satility is thus freshly illustrated. He made 
a very successful "butter broker," that is he 
was very successful in obtaining butter from 
the farmers and selling it again to town cus- 
tomers at a high rate of profit. As a matter 
of fact he at this time made too much money 
for the best good of so young a man. He 
joined a club in Sterling, where there was 
plenty of beer to drink as well as plenty of 
billiards to play, and he enjoyed these privi- 
leges to the full extent. He would not per- 
haps describe himself at this time as thoroughly 
dissipated. But at any rate he was so dissi- 
pated as to loose caste socially, and he drifted 
to Chicago. Some influence, he could never 
trace it to anything directly, except a whim, 
moved him to join his father in Pittsburg. It 
was about the time of the close of the great 
campaign in that city. The father saw how 
things were going with the boy, that his dispo- 
sition was to be more or less wild, and received 
Jiim with all the warmer-hearted cordiality. 
The elder Murphy was thankful for the chance 
to get a grip on the son, whom no one could 
know but to love. To take him out of the 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 73 

life, and habits, and associations of his past, 
Francis Murphy made "Ned" his private secre- 
tary, and the boy was with his father during 
the three months of the great campaign in 
Philadelphia, when 100,000 persons signed the 
Blue Ribbon pledge. No one so amenable to 
influence as "Ned" Murphy could have gone 
through such a movement as that and escape 
the deep impression which it made upon all 
that it reached. And the Philadelphia episode 
undoubtedly marked the turning point in 
"Ned" Murphy's career. 

It must not be inferred from this that the 
younger Murphy became all at once a Blue 
Ribbon man. His father had that wisdom, 
which many parents unfortunately lack. He 
tried to influence rather than control his son ; 
in other words, he sought control through 
influence, and not through dictation. Francis 
Murphy did not preach to "Ned," he did not 
nag him. He left the boy rather to see for 
himself how great was temperance work, and 
trusted to the indirect power of moral suasion 
and to the natural impulses of a good heart 
under proper direction, as well as to his love 
for his father, to keep him from evil courses 
and to bring him out right. The result has 
proved that this trust was not misplaced. 
"Ned" Murphy was much steadier than he had 
ever been before. He had too much respect 
for his father and for his father's position to 



74 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

disgrace him by open drinking. At times after 
the meetings were over he spent a night with 
"the boys." But he did this very quietly. In 
doing it, however, he did not escape his father's 
watchful eye, but that did not change the 
father's determination to refrain from breaking 
silence, and to take it for granted that "Ned" 
was behaving himself. But slowly and surely 
the quiet influence of his father and his father's 
work impressed itself on the boy's character. 
He became more and more ashamed of dissi- 
pation, and more and more convinced of 
the great actual good which the Blue Ribbon 
movement was accomplishing. He was not of 
course at this time anything of a temperance 
orator, and made no temperance claims for him- 
self. He occasionally arose in the meetings 
when his father called upon him and bore testi- 
mony to what he saw and heard. He speaks of 
these little offerings of testimony as of the most 
trivial and commonplace kind. But in books 
describing the great Philadelphia movement 
side references are occasionally made to some 
"admirable short speech by Mr. Edward Mur- 
phy." This shows that even at that time his 
gift was not wholly buried, and that he had a 
way of putting things which attracted popular 
attention. 

For the next two or three years "Ned" 
Murphy drifted about a good deal, being the 
larger part of the time with his father, But 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 75 

in 1880, while in Johnstown, Pa., he rather 
suddenly made up his mind to become a law- 
yer. He suggested this career to his father, 
and the latter fell in with the suggestion. 
With his brother Robert he entered the office 
of Horace Rose, and for six months gave him- 
self to preparatory studies necessary to pass 
the examination preliminary to the study of 
law. About this time or a little later he 
chanced with his brother Jack to visit his father 
in Philadelphia. On waking one morning he 
overheard his father say in an adjoining room : 
"Jack, I wish you would ask Ned to sign the 
pledge." The request went straight to his 
heart. The thought of his father's secret anx- 
iety for him, which had never been openly 
expressed, moved him greatly. He did not 
immediately sign the pledge, but he could not 
escape the memory of the request. Not long 
after that time he went of himself to his 
father and said, ' 'Father, I want to sign the 
pledge." And he did. Thus did patience, 
and forbearance, and tact, and silent in- 
fluence at last receive the reward which a 
more aggressive way would certainly have 
missed. 

Not long after this we note the beginning of 
"Ned" Murphy's career as a temperance advo- 
cate. So numerous were his father's engage- 
ments that "Ned" was often asked to fill 
engagements for him. He composed a speech 



7 6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

which he delivered in various towns in the 
vicinity of Oil City, and which, very much to 
his own surprise, proved to be acceptable and 
effective. Those who heard him once wanted 
to hear him again, and his fame suddenly grew. 
Temperance lecturing very naturally interfered 
with his law studies. He generally received 
twenty-five dollars a night, and that, as he is 
given to remarking, is better pay, taking the 
average of engagements, than he has sometimes 
received even now in the heyday of his popu- 
larity. But his career as a Pennsylvania tem- 
perance orator was suddenly cut short, and he 
was called upon to test his powers on a much 
larger stage than that of provincial life. 

In the summer of 1881 Francis Murphy 
received an invitation to inaugurate a temper- 
ance campaign in England. Mr. William 
Noble, the founder of Hoxton Hall, London, 
was largely instrumental in this. Hoxton 
Hall, as many readers may not know, was a 
mission established in what was formerly a 
music hall, in Hoxton Street, very close to, 
if not quite within, the purlieus of the slums. 
Mr. Noble had himself visited America and 
had gone back home greatly impressed by 
the extent and character of the Murphy 
movement. The Blue Ribbon feature had 
specially attracted him, and he had estab- 
lished, in connection with the Hoxton Hall 
mission, a branch of the Blue Ribbon army. 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 77 

Consequently Francis Murphy was really visit- 
ing an organization of his own when he made 
his first address in Hoxton Hall. 

It is aside from the present purpose to 
detail here the incidents of the English cam- 
paign. It is enough to say that nothing like 
it had ever before been known in England, and 
that it centered the attention of all, whether 
total abstainers or not, who were interested 
in philanthropic work — as is shown, for ex- 
ample, by the references made to it by Walter 
Besant, already quoted. "Ned" Murphy ac- 
companied his father on this trip, and it was 
destined that here in England he was first to 
achieve his great reputation as a temperance 
orator, although he was at the time under 
twenty-three. 

It came about in this way : As in America, 
the elder Murphy had more engagments than 
he could fill. So when the people of Hasling- 
den, a place of T2,ooo inhabitants, and a suburb 
of Manchester, asked for his services he was 
obliged to send "Ned" in his place. "Ned's" 
equipment for inaugurating a temperance cam- 
paign in a strange city of a strange country, 
where a man has his own place to make, and 
must of course run the gauntlet of natural 
criticism of a stranger and a stranger's method, 
consisted of a single set speech, which he had 
elaborated with the greatest care. It is so 
artificial in construction, so stiff, so wholly in 



7 8 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

contrast with the easy, spontaneous, off-hand 
efforts by which "Ned" Murphy is known to 
the American public, that it is worth while to 
give a specimen of it as an example of what it 
seems impossible to believe "Ned" Murphy's 
oratory ever was. This set speech starts off 
like the prize effort of a college boy: "It is 
universally admitted that drunkenness is the 
great'curse of our national and social life. It 
is not as characteristic of Great Britain as of 
America, but I am not here to-night to discuss 
this distinction from the standpoint of national 
differences." 

When "Ned" Murphy had made this speech 
he had exhausted his repertoire. Of course 
he could not conduct a great temperance cam- 
paign with only one speech, and that one 
speech was all he had. He also lacked time 
and opportunity for originating and elaborat- 
ing another. So he gave up speechifying and 
took to talking. And in this he found the 
true secret of his genius. He awoke to find 
himself a unique temperance orator. The 
chief charm of his addresses ever since have 
been their spontaneity, and the quickness with 
which they respond to every demand of the 
moment. It was his experience at Haslingden 
which gave to us a new and original temper- 
ance talker. 

In form and sentiment these English 
speeches, as reported in the English papers, 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 79 

bear a very close resemblance to those now 
so familiar to the American public. Here, for 
example is a quotation from one of his maiden 
efforts: "I have not come here to-night to 
speak an unkind word of anybody. But I 
appeal to every man who loves his fellow-man, 
who stands by the cause of good order, who 
hopes to see his home filled with happiness, to 
summon all the energies which he possesses to 
lemove the slightest impediment in the path- 
way of this reform. It is not my purpose here 
to-night to enter on a tirade against any man 
or any set of men. The movement which I 
advocate seeks to rob no man of his rights. It 
is as open as that heaven which is above us. 
Its one purpose is to cause the waste places to 
blossom and to make straight the crooked 
paths. It urges every man to rise to the dig- 
nity of his divine inheritance and to rule him- 
self. If people would only stop buying intoxi- 
cants there would be none to sell them. It is 
the individual who is responsible for this 
accursed traffic." 

This speech is typical of what "Ned" 
Murphy was at that time when he had thrown 
off the trammels of set oratory, and of what he 
is in ideas and sentiments to-day, when he is in 
his more serious "English " mood — If one may 
be allowed that phrase. The following ex- 
tract from another speech, delivered not long 
afterward at Warrington, is more typical of 



80 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

him in his American mood, if so radical an 
American as "Ned" Murphy can ever have a 
mood which is un-American. The quotation 
is as follows : 

"We have been having a grand time ever 
since we started — I think it is a kind of 'tee- 
total* spree. You may say that this is not a 
very refined way of expressing it. There are 
some people in this nineteenth century who 
are so terribly aesthetic. The first question 
they ask is, If I do so and so, will it be 
aesthetic? Will it be according to the mode 
of Mr. So-and-So, or Mrs. So-and-So, or the 
other So-and-Sos? Well, I thank God we care 
nothing about the opinion of Mr. So-and-So, 
or Mrs. So-and-So, or the other So-and-Sos, in 
this gospel temperance mission. They say 
that these meetings are quite out of the regu- 
lar routine. Thank God ! it is time for us to 
get out of the old rut. We do not plow with 
the spade nowadays. No, we don't! We have 
made an advance in agricultural implements. 
W T e have the telegraph and the telephone, and 
this age of ours is a most wonderful age; and 
no man need feel that his life is a failure who 
has been born in this nineteenth century, when 
there is so much of progress, and everything is 
so interesting. We have the telephone, I said, 
a modern miracle, and we can stand in Liver- 
pool and whisper to the men who are doing 
business on the Exchange in Manchester, and 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 81 

we can know in the twinkling of an eye what 
the quotations in the market there are. Yes, 
this is true nineteenth century advancement. 
But it does not stop there with market quota- 
tions. Thank God, we are advancing on the 
line of gospel temperance truth. There are 
some people who say that these meetings are 
not solemn enough. The man who gets up 
with his face as long as a butcher's knife does 
not impress me very much with his Chris- 
tianity, with his religion. If I am on the road 
to heaven by the grace of God, I have a right 
to be happy, and to laugh, and to shout 
' hurrah.' But some people say, 'Murphy tells 
a good many funny stories.' That may be a 
sign of weakness, I won't say as to that, but the 
Lord can make use of a very weak instrument 
to promote a good cause. To such men I say, 
Tf you are safe you may not need gospel tem- 
perance for yourself; but don't criticise those 
who do need it.' But I am not here to lecture 
you. I am here, so far as in me lies, to go 
down into the depths, and to get my arm, by 
the blessing of God, under the lowest man there, 
and to lift him up on to the level of redeemed 
humanity." 

No one who has ever heard "Ned" Murphy, 
and who reads this extract, will doubt that at 
last he had found himself. While not perhaps 
equal to many efforts of his later career, it has 
about it the same breezy naturalness, the same 



82 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

quickness at catching floating points and sug- 
gestions, which constitute the charm of his 
maturer efforts to-day. 

This style of address must have been a start- 
ling innovation for the conventional temper- 
ance platform of so conservative a country as 
England. But though new and American, and 
perhaps because it was new and American, it 
caught the ear of the multitude, and the multi- 
tude thronged to hear the youthful advocate of 
the Blue Ribbon movement. The results in 
Haslingden were simply a marvel, and provoked 
much incredulity at first when reported in the 
press and until the reports were substantiated. 
When the meetings closed 6166 had enrolled 
themselves in the Blue Ribbon army out of a 
population of 12,000, and simultaneously 500 
more had taken the Roman Catholic pledge. 
The largest hall in the town was crowded 
nightly. Toward the last, as the movement 
grew in interest and intensity, overflow meet- 
ings had to be held, and as many as 3000 
assembled on one night. Prejudice was over- 
come, all classes were reached, and there was an 
unanimous spirit of enthusiasm in behalf of 
gospel temperance. One chronicler quotes, in 
describing the movement, what Lord Nelson 
said of the battle of the Nile: "It is not a 
victory, but a conquest." And this in staid 
England ! 

Cases of "hard drinkers" reached were numer- 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 83 

ous and impressive. One, for example, who 
had wasted over $50,000 in five years, and had 
reduced himself to absolute want, signed the 
pledge and began the life of restored manhood. 
A publican, or as we should say in America, a 
liquor seller, came to one of the meetings and 
asked for a pledge. He said: "My three sons 
have signed, and I must try to encourage them. 
I will sell no more drink." A relieving officer 
went into a low lodging house, before the Blue 
Ribbon campaign a scene of terrible intemper- 
ance. What he saw there, instead of drunken- 
ness, were Blue Ribbon pledges hung upon the 
walls, representing all the tenants of the place. 
The change appealed to him so eloquently that 
he also signed the Blue Ribbon pledge. The 
men who quarried the famous Haslingden 
stone had been, previous to the movement, 
notorious for intemperance. Large numbers 
of them put on the Blue Ribbon. As evidence 
of the change wrought a local paper states that 
in one quarry in one week, in place of the usual 
expenditure for drink of five pounds, the 
amount so spent was only three shillings. As 
in America so in Haslingden the Blue Ribbon 
movement proved to be truly evangelistic. It 
awakened a new interest in religion. Those 
who were reclaimed felt that they could not 
depend upon themselves to be saved from fall- 
ing backward into their old ways, and their 
hearts were turned to a higher power for help 



8 4 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

and strength. Many who had not attended 
church in years began to go again. In short, 
the movement resulted in a new religious life 
throughout the town. The results were so 
remarkable as to attract general attention, and 
Dr. F. R. Lees, author of the "Standard Tem- 
perance Text-Book," was among the first to 
come forward and indorse Murphy heartily. 

Those who were interested went carefully to 
work to conserve the results, so that nearly 
thirteen years after "Ned" Murphy closed his 
meetings in Haslingden, or in the spring of 
1894, a commodious, well-equipped club, a 
home for the local Blue Ribbon army and for 
temperance men, was opened in that town. 
"Ned" Murphy was invited to cross the Atlan- 
tic and to take part in the dedicatory exer- 
cises of an institution which is so notable a 
tribute to the thoroughness and permanency 
of his work. Greatly to his own regret he was 
unable to accept this invitation. 

It is also a great gratification to him to 
meet, as has been his not uncommon experi- 
ence, his Haslingden converts all over America 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Like many 
other Englishmen they have emigrated, and 
in emigrating to America they have not for- 
gotten to bring their Blue Ribbon principles 
with them. They are always glad to embrace 
every opportunity to make themselves known 
to Mr. Murphy again, and to tell him how 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 85 

great is their sense of obligation to him and 
his work. Only as recently as the spring of 
1894, while conducting his great campaign in 
Boston, two of these Haslingden Blue Ribbon 
men made their way to the platform after a 
meeting and renewed their allegiance to the 
pledge they had taken in England. Thus do 
the converts of the movement in one part of 
the world rise up in other parts to give it the 
strength of former victories and to spread its 
influence by their testimony. 

We shall reserve for a later chapter the full 
details of the Blue Ribbon movement in Eng- 
land under the auspices of Francis and "Ned" 
Murphy. It extended to Scotland and Ire- 
land, and the results there were as remark- 
able as those in England. What is intended 
here is simply to show how "Ned" Murphy 
became a temperance orator, and what were 
his methods and what was the extent of his 
influence. It may not be unprofitable to con- 
trast the "Ned" Murphy of then with the 
"Ned" Murphy of to-day. To do this we will 
make a quotation from an article published 
in Harper 's Weekly in February, 1894, which 
says: 

"As 'Ned' Murphy steps out on the plat- 
form on one of his great gatherings where the 
doors have, no doubt, been closed a half hour 
or more before, as even the standing room is 
gone, and raises his hand to still the tumult- 



86 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

uous greeting which interrupts some prelim- 
inary song or solo, one who sees him for the 
first time involuntarily exclaims: 'What a fine- 
looking, well-dressed, genial man !' Of about 
the average height, of good figure, of good 
features, a half blonde who has all the blonde's 
attractive freshness of complexion, with wavy 
hair and a heavy mustache, the chief charm of 
all lies in his winsome smile, whose whole- 
souled good-fellowship and open frankness are 
as contagious as sunshine. No heart can 
escape its inspiration of hope and health. 
Then what a 'well-groomed' man he is! From 
the fit of his bell-skirted Prince Albert coat to 
the nicety with which his cravat is tied, every 
detail is perfect. 

"His method, if method it can be called, 
when everything seems to go of itself without 
aim or machinery, is as unusual as the man. 
All centers in him. Business men — whom 
Murphy is very successful in enlisting in the 
cause — and clergymen, and converts, are called 
up in some off-hand, unconventional way for a 
'few remarks' — a way that recalls the Salvation 
Army. While each speaks, Murphy sits close 
behind, his face reflecting every sentiment, and 
his voice punctuating the remarks with all 
sorts of comments, the audience actually see- 
ing and hearing as Murphy interprets. When 
Murphy's own turn cc»mes there is no attempt 
at any formal address. It is simply a talk, as 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 87 

colloquial as if it were delivered in a drawing 
room before a select party of friends, now 
humorous, now pathetic, now intensely dra- 
matic, moving this way and that as any chance 
incident may suggest, filled with stories, but 
absolutely free from coarseness, and stopping 
almost abruptly before anyone is prepared for 
the end. The burden of it all is the glory of 
self-controlled manhood, the happiness of the 
home redeemed from the drink curse, the 
common sense of being on the safe side. 

"There is nothing new in all this; it is as 
old as the temperance cause itself. And yet 
thousands will crowd a great hall for a month 
of nights to listen to its repetition. It is the 
'magnetism' of the man's own personality, his 
dominating optimism, the contagious geniality 
of his gospel of good cheer, which puts courage 
into the heart of the most despondent, and 
sends all out into the world nerved for new 
effort. 

"Then the charm of Murphy's complete 
informality grows constantly. He treats his 
audience as one big family, and enters upon all 
sorts of personal details. His favorite climax, 
'Isn't that so, Maggie?" at first grates a little 
unpleasantly, especially when one looks at 
Mrs. Murphy, a quiet, attractive, well-dressed, 
well-bred little woman. But soon one comes 
to take it as the most natural thing in the 
world, and appreciates how without that famil- 



88 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

iarity the whole effect might be missed. And, 
indeed, Mrs. Murphy is herself the greatest 
possible factor in her husband's success. She 
'keeps tab' on all his stories, arranges a hun- 
dred details for him, and by a warning or 
encouraging glance restrains or directs him 
when he is seemingly most at the mercy of the 
spontaneous movings of his own spirit. Com- 
ing from a home of wealth and refinement in 
Pittsburg, the daughter of Captain Vandergrift 
of the United Pipe Lines Company, Mrs. 
Murphy shows a devotion to her husband and 
the Blue Ribbon cause which has in it a touch 
of romance, and which draws many hearts to 
her. It seems impossible to imagine Murphy 
or the Murphy movement without her quiet, 
effective, gracious aid." 

The reference to Mrs. Murphy made in this 
quotation anticipates somewhat the marriage 
of "Ned" Murphy, which took place four years 
after the time of his first English campaign. 
But, as the object we have now in view is to 
contrast Mr. Murphy as he was when he first 
came into prominence on the temperance plat- 
form, with what he is to-day, when, though still 
a young man, he may yet be called a veteran 
of the platform, it is perhaps as appropriate 
here as anywhere to speak of the event which 
has done more to confirm his career than per- 
haps all the other events of his life. In "Ned" 
Murphy as he is to-day there is conspicuous a 











^ 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 89 

certain feminine quality which belongs to all 
true art work. The application of the word art 
to temperance platform oratory will probably 
not escape challenge. But art belongs of right 
to such work as "Ned" Murphy's as truly as it 
does to the work of the actor or to the work 
of the preacher. To so adapt means to end, to 
so apply the powers of oratory, to so study 
human nature, as to make effective for good 
the instrumentalities of a temperance move- 
ment, belongs beyond a question to the sphere 
of art. To command success requires genius, 
and genius trained by the conditions of art 
development. And the longer a man con- 
tinues on the platform, and the farther he lives 
away from the first freshness of his original 
debut and the first novelty of his original 
methods, the more must his genius depend 
upon the guidance of his art to make perma- 
nent his success and his place in his chosen 
sphere. This is in effect a truism, which we 
recognize in almost all other professions except 
that of temperance orator. From the mere 
fact that a man like "Ned" Murphy appears 
now here and now there, that his appearance in 
any particular place is of comparatively short 
duration, we think of him as some wandering, 
erratic star not governed by the same laws 
which control the stars of the fixed professions. 
But this simply shows that we have taken a 
surface view of the matter, and have not con- 



9° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

sidered the necessary conditions for success in 
such a career as that chosen by "Ned" Murphy. 

It is an axiom almost that in all true art 
work, of whatever kind or degree, there must 
be present sex sympathy. This applies as 
rigidly to men as to women. That is, there 
must be something, if the work be true art, 
which commands the sympathy of both sexes, 
whatever be the sex of its author. They tell 
the story of Thomas Bailey Aldrich, the clever 
story teller and graceful poet, the artistic 
quality of whose works is probably not sur- 
passed in America, that a friend said to him 
one day : "Aldrich, Miss Blank of Boston [nam- 
ing a certain woman prominent in Women's 
Rights circles] says that you are 'effeminate.' ' : 
Quick as a flash came Mr. Aldrich's retort: "I 
am, compared with her !" Now it is not simply 
the wit of this retort which makes it admirable. 
There is more in it, namely, the recognition of 
the fact that there might be, and probably was, 
something in his work, man though he was, 
which struck the note of sex sympathy, which 
touched not one sex but both. 

This is a comment which truthfully applies 
to the work of "Ned" Murphy. It appeals for 
sympathy equally to men and women. If one 
were called on to name the most prominent 
quality in it which entitles it to this descrip- 
tion, there would be no difficulty in naming it, 
for through all his speeches runs the dominat- 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 91 

ing note of "home." He may or he may not 
start with it, he may or he may not linger upon 
it, but again and again throughout the evening 
he returns to it as the great supreme argument 
for leading a life of strict sobriety. Many will 
say that this is a commonplace of temperance 
appeal. And so in a sense it is. But as 
Murphy uses it, it loses the conventionality 
that makes it commonplace, and takes on an 
earnestness and intensity with which it is sel- 
dom presented. His constant recurrence to it 
is the most spontaneous and natural thing in 
the world. It comes about because it is evi- 
dently the uppermost thought in his mind, be- 
cause he really feels that a happy home is the 
greatest of all possible blessings here on this 
earth. 

If, then, any critic wants to know what it is 
which gives Murphy his unique power over the 
hearts of the people, such a critic need look no 
farther than the genuine love of "Ned" Mur- 
phy for the home and all that belongs to it. 
Here is the secret of the strength of his 
eloquence. When he touches the home he 
touches that chord to which the human heart 
instinctively vibrates. 

The thought will probably occur to many 
that "Ned" Murphy's love for the home is 
largely a love for one of those blessings of 
which fortune has deprived him. The case of 
Payne penning in all the loneliness of homeless 



92 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

wanderings in a foreign land his immortal 
"Home, Sweet Home" might be cited as a 
parallel. For Murphy's life has of necessity 
been a wandering one. This was true of his 
homeless boyhood's days, of his youth passed 
in drifting from occupation to occupation, of 
his younger manhood spent in assisting his 
father, and in his independent career on the 
temperance platform. But they little know 
"Ned" Murphy who suppose that his loss of 
home in the conventional sense is the true ex- 
planation of the dominating thought of home 
always present to him. It is not because he 
has been for so much of his life deprived of a 
physical home, a fixed abiding place, that he 
places it first among the possibilities of life. It 
is rather because he himself knows and knows 
constantly what it is to have a home. This 
may be a paradox, but the truth of it is plain 
enough to those who have the pleasure of Mrs. 
Murphy's personal acquaintance. She is one 
of those rare women of whom it can be truth- 
fully said that she makes a home wherever she 
is. Of all the good fortune that has fallen to 
"Ned" Murphy's lot nothing is comparable 
with the good fortune which made Margaret 
Frances Vandergrift his wife. 

This applies as truly to Mr. Murphy whether 
one considers his public career or his private 
life. Mrs. Murphy's devotion to her hus- 
band's career is absolute. And it may be 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 93 

added that anything short of such absolute 
devotion would make impossible for her hus- 
band the career which he has chosen as his life 
work. With rare tact and sweetness Mrs. 
Murphy appreciates this, and has made her 
husband's career her own as completely as if 
she were herself the platform temperance 
advocate. To a man of Mr. Murphy's sensi- 
tive affection anything short of this would be 
torture. There are many wives in the world 
who are sincerely in love with their husbands, 
but who are not in love with their husbands' 
careers. They are loyal to their husbands, 
but not their husbands' life work. Such a 
divided loyalty as that would make it impos- 
sible for a man like Mr. Murphy to live his 
best life. He needs on the platform all the 
sustaining sympathy which comes from a 
wifely loyalty that knows no other good for 
him than platform success, which desires no 
other career for him than the one he has 
chosen. Turning to the private side of Mr. 
Murphy's life it is evident that, for one who 
can know no conventional home, the fact that 
his wife's companionship makes a home for 
him wherever he is, is a source of infinite 
strength and sweetness, an inspiration for im- 
passioned rhapsodies on the word home. 

In all this devotion of Mrs. Murphy to the 
Blue Ribbon cause which she has espoused 
there is never discernible the least note of self- 



94 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

sacrifice. When others recall the surroundings 
of luxury and wealth which she enjoyed in her 
father's home in Pittsburg, and suggest more 
or less delicately the change from those sur- 
roundings involved in her present life, the 
suggestion that she has given up anything is 
repelled with impulsive sincerity, almost with 
indignation. It is evident to those who know 
her best that she has become so enthusiastic 
over her husband's work that she has actually 
grown into enjoyment of it. The work is now 
a part of herself, a part of her life. It is "we" 
who have been here or there, who have held 
this or that campaign, who have accomplished 
this or that triumph. The identification of 
Mrs. Murphy with her husband's Blue Ribbon 
movement is now natural and complete. 

What her husband could have been without 
her is almost impossible now to imagine. Of 
course there was a time, and quite a long time 
too, when he was a successful temperance 
orator without her watchful care and assist- 
ance. But her tender solicitude is now con- 
stantly on the alert to relieve him of all the 
minor annoyances of life, and to place him 
where he can be free to work to the best 
advantage. 

Not long ago there broke out in the English 
newspapers one of those periodic discussions 
of the personal rights and questions of life, for 
which sort of discussion English journalism is 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 95 

famous. The subject of the particular discus- 
sion was: "Ought women to be allowed to 
carry latch-keys?" In the case of Mr. and 
Mrs. Murphy such a discussion could never 
arise. For almost invariably Mrs. Murphy 
carries the latch-key. This is a small incident, 
but it is typical of the extent to which she 
more than cheerfully goes in attending to the 
vexatious details of ordinary life. Mr. Mur- 
phy is sometimes accused of being extravagant 
in the matter of personal expense. He be- 
lieves in the gospel of physical comfort, and he 
lives up to the gospel he believes in. Wher- 
ever he is it is his custom to stop at the best 
hotel, to have the best rooms in that hotel, 
and to give his wife and himself all the com- 
fort possible in hotel life. Of course this is a 
matter entirely personal to himself, a matter 
which concerns his pocketbook and his dispos- 
ition, and a matter concerning which outside 
or public criticism is an impertinence. It is 
part of Mr. Murphy's creed that a man who 
preaches and practices temperance has a 
right to live as well, if not better than, him 
who preaches and practices self-indulgence 
in alcoholic stimulants. No one will dispute 
Mr. Murphy's right to hold this view. But if 
any defense of it were needed, it would seem 
as if the fact that he goes everywhere with 
Mrs. Murphy, and that what may not be a 
necessity for him would be generally acknowl- 



9 6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

edged a necessity for her, ought to be a suffi- 
cient protection against even implied criticism. 
And yet perhaps she is the last person in the 
world to be willing to enter such a defense. 
She would say that a man who works as hard 
as Mr. Murphy needs all the comfort which 
he can possibly obtain in a method of living 
at best uncomfortable. And this position, one 
that she would naturally and spontaneously 
take, illustrates better than volumes of descrip- 
tion her loyalty to her husband and her hus- 
band's career. 

We have not touched upon her own definite 
part in furthering that career. With a gra- 
cious woman's tact and a true kindness of 
heart found only in such a woman she makes 
friends of all with whom the extraordinary 
conditions of her life throw her in contact. 
Whether she is merely sitting on the platform, 
or tying blue ribbons in the buttonholes of 
those who have recently signed, or making 
time pass pleasantly for some chance caller, or 
discussing the outlook with some committee- 
man, or giving points to a newspaper reporter, 
or attending to one and a thousand other de- 
tails of temperance campaigning, she is at all 
times the same winsome, charming personality 
of quiet, cordial manners and refined bearing. 
No wonder she holds true to the cause many 
who might but for her wander again into indif- 
ference or hostility. 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 97 

How came it that "Ned" Murphy was so 
typically fortunate in the all-important matter 
of the choice of a wife? The story extends 
over years. We sometimes wonder at the 
number of unfortunate marriages in the world. 
It is perhaps more a matter of wonder that 
people who prove to be "made for each other" 
often do not discover their affinity until after 
a considerable acquaintance. 

One would think that discoveries in such 
cases ought to be immediate. But this is far 
from the fact, and it is sometimes a matter of 
years before these typically happy marriages 
are finally brought about. People pass and 
repass in life, and know each other more or less 
intimately at one time and another, and yet do 
not come any closer together until some sud- 
den impulse or unexpected incident brings on 
the satisfactory denouement. A good deal is 
made by novelists and philosophers of "love at 
first sight," as of something very extraordinary. 
But after all is love at first sight half so extra- 
ordinary as the possibilities of love which exist 
dormant long before they are realized? Cer- 
tainly as Mr. Murphy looks back now upon 
many years of ideally happy married life, it 
must seem a very strange and extraordinary 
thing to him that he did not find out what 
Miss Vandergrift might be to him when he first 
met her. That would seem to have been the 
natural result of their first meeting, and the 



98 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

actual fact that they met, and drifted apart, 
and remained separated for years, without any 
apparent serious thought of one for the other 
would seem to be the unnatural result. 

The first meeting between Mr. Murphy and 
Miss Vandergrift dates back to the time before 
"Ned" Murphy was a temperance orator of 
more than local reputation. In other words, it 
was before his first visit to Europe and the dis- 
covery which he made in Haslingden, that he 
could "talk" temperance and not simply deliver 
set speeches upon it. The place of this meet- 
ing was Oil City, Pa., and the time was 1881. 
"Ned" Murphy was visiting there, acting as 
private secretary to his father. He became 
intimate in the family of an aunt of Miss Van- 
dergrift 's, who often spoke of her niece. Miss 
Vandergrift made a visit to the aunt, and the 
two met. The acquaintance began rather vio- 
lently for an ordinary acquaintance, for the first 
meeting was followed by an engagement to 
take a horseback ride together the next morn- 
ing at five o'clock. This was followed by 
various meetings, as often as opportunity 
offered. But it ended there. They had not 
"arrived," as the French say. 

Thus the two people who were apparently 
"made for each other," as the phrase goes, and 
who were actually made for each other, as years 
of happy married life have proved, enjoyed 
their little preliminary intimacy and parted 



A BLUE RIB BOM ORATOR. 99 

without serious thoughts one for the other. It 
might have been, for all that anyone could tell 
at the time, a case of "Ships that pass in the 
night," only it was not night, but the brightest 
and cheeriest sort of morning sunshine. He 
went to Europe to enter upon his career there, 
and she returned to Pittsburg to enjoy the 
gayeties which attend the life of a daughter of 
a wealthy, loving, and indulgent father. 

It was two years before they met again. He 
was just back from the other side with his tem- 
perance laurels thick upon him, and she was in 
New York with her family paying a flying visit 
to the metropolis. The meeting was one of 
the purest chance. He ran across her in a 
hotel corridor and had a pleasant little chat 
just as he might have had with any other 
young lady of his acquintance. There was 
nothing in the least impressive or signifi- 
cant about their meeting, although it was a 
very cordial one. The Vandergrifts were going 
to the Oriental Hotel, Manhattan Beach, for a 
few days' outing by the water, and they pressed 
Mr. Murphy to join their party and take his 
outing with them. But he preferred to carry 
out certain plans of his own. So he simply 
thanked them, and went his way on a trip to 
Watkin's Glen, and Miss Vandergrift and her 
family went theirs. That was all there was 
of it. 

"Ned" Murphy met his fate in the Christ- 



ioo THE BLUE RIBBON. 

mas holidays of 1884. He had been seized 
with an enthusiasm for the law, and had for a 
time dropped regular work on the temperance 
platform in order to pursue his legal studies. 
He found law quite fascinating, and had he 
continued must have made a successful career 
at the bar, as some of the leading lawyers in 
Chicago took a great interest in him and held 
out all sorts of alluring promises. He had not, 
however, given over speaking for temperance, 
and during this time, when the enthusiastic 
convention which nominated Mr. Blaine was 
held in Chicago, had assisted his father in 
addressing large temperance assemblages, the 
Blue Ribbon movement there having met with 
extraordinary success. But that winter his 
father had returned to Pittsburg, and "Ned" 
had settled down to make a lawyer of himself. 
While in Pittsburg his father met with a 
slight accident which interfered more or less 
with his work, and "Ned" joined him in order 
to pass the Christmas holidays with him. His 
father suggested that they call on the Vander- 
grifts, and "Ned" fell in with the suggestion 
from no special motive, but to please his 
father. So the two called together one after- 
noon and found only Mrs. Vandergrift at 
home. She was exceedingly cordial and 
invited them to dinner the next evening. 
They accepted the invitation, and now Mr. 
Murphy and Miss Vandergrift met for the 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. ioi 

third time. It proved to be the traditionally 
fatal third time. Both were deeply impressed, 
"Ned" Murphy so much so that he found 
himself in no hurry to return to Chicago, but 
was perfectly willing to continue his visit to 
his father indefinitely, and to postpone indefi- 
nitely the prosecution of his legal studies. 
Naturally enough he began again to make 
addresses for the Blue Ribbon movement, and 
naturally enough Miss Vandergrift was fre- 
quently among his auditors. Naturally 
enough also Mr. Murphy between temperance 
addresses was a constant visitor at the Vander- 
grift home. 

The course of true love ran no more 
smoothly in their case than in the proverbial 
case of all real lovers. Of the obstacles which 
stood in the way of "Ned" Murphy's success 
it is not necessary here to speak at length. 
With so popular a young woman socially as 
Miss Vandergrift, it goes without saying 
that there were rivals in the field. But he 
threw into his love-making the same deter- 
mination and intensity which had hitherto 
gone into the prosecution of Blue Ribbon 
campaigns. And the same success crowned 
his efforts which had previously crowned them 
in quite different ambitions. 

There is no doubt that it was the man who 
won Miss Vandergrift and not the temperance 
orator, although the same fascinations which 



102 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

attach to oratory no doubt had their influence 
with her. She describes herself as always 
being moderately interested in the temperance 
cause, but she did not sign the pledge until 
after her marriage. After winning the 
daughter the difficult and delicate duty 
devolved upon "Ned" Murphy of "making 
love to his father-in-law," as Mrs. Harriet 
Beecher Stowe felicitously calls it in one of 
her novels. Like most fathers, Captain Van- 
dergrift seems to have been blind to what was 
going on, and to have been very greatly sur- 
prised and not especially pleased that his 
daughter's affections had finally been be- 
stowed. But he yielded at last quite grace- 
fully to the inevitable. Also like most fathers 
similarly circumstanced he would probably 
have preferred some suitor for his daughter's 
hand whose avocation did not keep him con- 
stantly traveling from one end of the country 
to the other. But to this too he became ulti- 
mately reconciled, and, though not himself a 
total abstainer, on occasion visits his son-in- 
law's meetings and gives countenance to his 
campaigns. Captain Vandergrift is a good 
type of the solid American business man, of 
push, sagacity, and success. He is the pos- 
sessor of a very large fortune, is President of 
the United Pipe Lines Company, President of 
the Keystone Bank of Pittsburg, and identified 
with many extensive enterprises. Mrs. Van- 



A BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 103 

dergrift, his wife, is a lovely and charitable 
woman, who has always been a friend of the 
Murphys. 

Owing to the then recent death of her 
brother the marriage of Thomas E. Murphy 
and Margaret F. Vandergrift, on June 18, 1885, 
was a very quiet though pretty home wedding. 
Only a few intimate friends outside the family 
circle were present. The officiating clergyman 
was the Rev. W. J. Holland, pastor of Belle- 
field Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg. The 
best man was Mr. E. F. Jackman of Pittsburg, 
and there were no bridesmaids. 

The wedding was followed by a trip to 
Europe, during which the bride had ample evi- 
dence in the reception of her husband by his 
English'and Irish friends of his success across 
the water. On their return from the other 
side "Ned" Murphy began a two months' 
campaign in Cleveland, and thus Mrs. Murphy 
was initiated almost from the start to the life 
of Blue Ribbon advocacy, in which she has 
proved since so quiet but effective a factor, 
showing what a woman can do without leaving 
her own sphere to forward a great movement 
in ways and methods unaccustomed to herself 
and her past, and untried by the great majority 
of her sisters. 



CHAPTER IV. 

" NED " MURPHY'S METHODS, WITH ILLUS- 
TRATIONS AND INCIDENTS. 

FIGURES and statistics and descriptions 
never give an adequate or accurate idea of the 
subject to which they relate. In the case of 
figures and statistics, their real meaning and 
significance are revealed to the expert only. 
If the figures are very large they may give 
pause to the person who casually runs across 
them, but they convey no definite meaning to 
the mind. They simply astonish. What idea 
does it give anyone of the distance to say that 
the sun is something like ninety-five millions 
of miles away from the earth ? If the state- 
ment were ninety-five billions or ninety-five 
trillions, the result would be practically the 
same, so far as the ordinary person is con- 
cerned. The statement would simply mean 
to such a person, whatever the millions or 
billions or trillions of miles mentioned, that 
the sun was an immense distance away from 
the earth, a distance so immense as to 
be inconceivable. We measure everything 
by comparison with something else. The 
104 



(i A r £D" MURPHY'S METHODS. 105 

ordinary person has no standard for measur- 
ing the distance from the earth to the sun, 
and so can form no idea of it, however accur- 
ately the astronomers may have worked it out. 
The astronomer, however, who has made dis- 
tance a subject of special study, has thus culti- 
vated a scientific imagination, and has created 
for himself a standard by which he can measure 
and appreciate differences which to the ordinary 
person are all alike, an indistinct blur. 

The same may be said largely of statistics. 
It takes expert knowledge, gained through long 
training, to understand them and get at their 
real significance. The statistics of a census, for 
example, soon become too involved for the 
comprehension of the ordinary reader, whose 
comprehension goes about to the extent of 
estimating the relative size of cities. Such 
figures are useful only to the comparatively 
few, the special students whose work deals with 
the facts which they record. 

Descriptions of noted or unusual men are 
also likely to be misleading. They resemble 
a painting in which the artist has idealized his 
subject and given prominence to this or that 
look or trait, not discernible to the casual 
acquaintance, or the average person in the 
walks of daily life. 

So it is that mere figures or statistics of the 
campaigns of a temperance advocate such as 
" Ned " Murphy must often fail to convey an 



io6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

accurate idea of his work. There is a certain 
sameness to them, too, which contributes to 
the inability to appreciate them. It reminds 
one of a schoolboy in Xenophon's " Anabasis," 
where he is constantly reading how the forces 
of Cyrus marched so many parasangs in one 
day, halted and rested for the night, and then 
marched so many parasangs the next day. 
These different marches make next to no im- 
pression on him, and he has no idea how far 
Cyrus and his forces marched in a given num- 
ber of days. It is very much so when one 
attempts to summarize the campaigns of " Ned " 
Murphy, to tell how many signers he secured 
in >this place, how many in that, and how many 
in the other. It is all very remarkable and 
wonderful, but it leaves no definite impression 
on the mind. 

The same fate attends talks about him and 
descriptions of him. That he is bright and 
witty, eloquent and and soul-stirring, that he 
mingles pathos and humor in a wonderful 
degree, that he impresses his audience with 
his personality and makes them share in his 
own genial, hopeful outlook on life, that he has 
an art of getting good speeches out of common- 
place men, and of making the most of them 
and their experiences — all this has been said 
of him over and over again, and yet what 
accurate idea of him is thus conveyed to the 
person who has never seen or heard him ? 



" NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 107 

It is only by the concrete, by illustration, by 
the story of things he has actually done and 
the method he chose to do them, that one 
can hope to disclose in any understandable 
way the secret of his genius for temperance 
work. That which escapes analysis may per- 
haps be made clear by the simple statement 
of some things which have happened during 
his career on the temperance platform. 

A distinguishing mark of " Ned " Murphy's 
manner of conducting a temperance campaign 
is his freedom from abuse of saloon keepers. 
He never treats his audience to that wholesale 
denunciation of them and their methods which 
is so commonly heard in temperance oratory. 
He does not believe in minimizing the sense of 
individual responsibility, in putting the respon- 
sibility for drunkenness on the man who sells 
intoxicants rather than on the man who buys 
and uses them. " The hardest saloon for a 
man to close " as " Ned " Murphy is wont to say, 
"is the saloon between a man's own chin and 
his nose." To the closing of this saloon he 
directs all his efforts, knowing that if these in- 
dividual saloons are closed the others, which 
depend on the first for their patronage, will 
have to close too. Thus it comes about that 
in every place where he holds a temperance 
campaign he deprecates, even forbids, abuse 
and denunciation of saloon keepers on his plat- 
form. Indeed he often makes a tour of the 



108 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

saloons of the place with some friend, hoping 
by some chance kind word to win perhaps 
even a saloon keeper and bring him to the 
meetings. 

" Ned " Murphy has had many remarkable 
experiences with these pariahs of temperance 
crusades, but perhaps none more remarkable 
than the one which befell him in Franklin, Ind. 

It came about in this way : When he opened 
his campaign the churches fell into line. 
There was great enthusiasm and a great out- 
pouring of what generally are called the re- 
spectable classes. He was, of course, glad to 
speak to them in such numbers, and glad to 
strengthen the resolutions they had already 
made to lead sober and temperate lives. But 
there seemed to him to be something distinctly 
lacking to the highest success of the campaign, 
and he did not know exactly how to remedy it. 
There was a conspicuous absence of those 
whom he was accustomed to reach, of the 
dissipated and the drunken, and he was at 
a loss for a way to get at them and draw 
them in. 

Among those who took a great interest in 
the movement was a certain Judge Horde, a 
lawyer of the highest standing, commanding 
general respect by his character and ability, but 
who was not himself a total abstainer, and who 
was accustomed to go into saloons more or less 
often, and to take a drink when he wanted one. 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 109 

Judge Horde met Murphy on the street one 
day and said to him : 

" Murphy, it seems to me that while your 
temperance campaign is doing a great deal of 
good, it is not doing half the good that it ought 
to. It is not broad enough or deep enough. 
It is not reaching those that most need to be 
reached." 

Murphy gave a very hearty assent to this, 
for the Judge's remark seemed to come as an 
unexpected answer to his own thoughts. He 
then inquired of the judge if he had any sug- 
gestion to offer by which a different class could 
be interested in the campaign. 

" Yes," said the judge, " I have a suggestion 
which I would like to offer, and which it seems 
to me will be exactly the thing which you need. 
There is a saloon keeper in this town who is 
about to open a restaurant in connection with 
his saloon. He is a man who is very well 
thought of, barring his business, and has a host 
of friends, some of them among our leading 
citizens. To inaugurate the new departure, he 
will to-night give a banquet which will be very 
generally attended. What I want you to do is 
to go with me to that banquet, to be a guest 
there, for you will there have a chance to meet 
those whom you have not been able so far to 
interest in your meetings. Many of them can- 
not probably be induced to come." 

The suggestion struck " Ned " Murphy as a 



no THE BLUE RIBBON. 

very sensible and practical one, and he at once 
accepted with great cordiality the judge's invi- 
tation to be his guest at the saloon keeper's 
banquet that night. His principle was, if the 
mountain would not come to Mahomet, then 
Mahomet must go to the mountain, and he saw 
nothing in such a course that could possibly 
provoke criticism, or hostile comment, or un- 
pleasant feeling. Although he had then been 
no little time in the temperance work, he did 
not realize how easy it was to arouse temper- 
ance prejudices and lay himself open to mis- 
understandings. So he attended the banquet 
in perfect innocence, took advantage of the 
opportunity to meet all to whom he could say a 
kind word, and then went back to the hotel 
and to bed, to sleep the sleep of a clear con- 
science when one has discharged a difficult 
duty. 

But he did not have a chance to finish his 
slumbers. At an early hour in the morning 
he was rudely awakened by an tremendous 
assault upon his door, proceeding from an 
enraged committeeman ready to drag him out 
and excoriate him before he had had either 
bath or breakfast. In short, he had caused 
a tremendous sensation. The morning news- 
papers all had flaming headlines in their big- 
gest display type announcing how " Ned " 
Murphy, the temperance advocate, had actu- 
ally been a guest at the saloon keeper's ban- 



• ' NED " MURPHY'S ME THODS. 1 1 1 

quet, had said kind words to men who needed 
reforming, and had cordially taken them by 
the hand. Everybody in town was talking 
about this extraordinary departure of the Blue 
Ribbon champion, and it had been impossible 
to get together, early enough, the members of 
the church committee (which had invited him 
to Franklin) to discuss this awful crisis in the 
campaign. Even then the committee, with 
bated breath, was in session behind closed doors 
awaiting with intense anxiety to hear what 
Murphy had to say in his own defense. So 
urgent and pressing was the demand made for 
him that Murphy decided to forego the form- 
ality of a breakfast, and, as soon as he could 
dress, accompanied his visitor to the scene of 
the excitement. 

He found on his arrival that there had been 
no exaggeration of the feeling over what he 
had done or of its condemnation. The com- 
mittee had practically decided to withdraw its 
countenance and support, and had, as he 
learned afterward, telegraphed to his father 
in Cincinnati, as follows: 

" The religious sentiment of our community has been 
outraged by the presence of your son at a banquet given 
by a saloon keeper. Your presence is imperatively 
needed, and that immediately." 

To this telegram Francis Murphy replied 
laconically ; 



H2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" Give my son your support. His Master dined with 
publicans and sinners. His mission, like his Master's, 
is to save all." 

But this correspondence is somewhat antici- 
pating history. Excellent as was Francis 
Murphy's answer it seems to have failed of 
immediate effect. 

To the committee " Ned " Murphy made a 
full and frank explanation of what he had done, 
and of why he had done it. He pointed out 
to them that the guests at that banquet were 
the very ones he most desired to bring into the 
campaign, and that this opportunity to meet 
and talk with them seemed to him to be clearly 
providential. He had not the remotest idea 
that he would arouse their criticism, but if he 
had entertained such an idea, it would have 
made no difference to him. He felt that it was 
his duty to do as he had done, and, that being 
so, there was nothing to defend or apologize 
for. If he had the thing to do over, he said, 
he should do it exactly as before. He closed 
by saying substantially : 

" Gentlemen, you say that you intend to 
bring these meetings to a close, to shut your 
church doors against me, and to withdraw your 
influence and support. You can do the last 
two, but you cannot do the first. These meet- 
ings must not close. They must and shall go 
on. There are halls to be hired in this city, 
and if you carry out your intention I shall hire 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 113 

one of them. If I lose your backing, there are 
others who will back me. In any case I shall 
stay here and see this campaign through. The 
only question for you to decide is whether you 
will back that campaign as you have promised, 
or whether I shall be obliged to seek other 
backing." 

Even this speech, strong as it was, did not 
settle the committee. It made an impression 
on them, but it did not convince them. They 
however made a concession. They voted to 
allow Murphy to have the same church that 
night which he had been previously using, and 
to decide on their future course by the result 
of the sentiment shown at that meeting. 

Perhaps " Ned " Murphy has never addressed 
a more densely packed meeting than he did 
that night. All the town had been talking of 
the incident, and debating it, and everybody 
was anxious to hear what he had to say in ex- 
planation and defense. The church would not 
begin to hold those who desired to get in. 
The only way that " Ned " Murphy himself 
could gain admittance was through a back 
window over the pulpit, to which he climbed 
up by a ladder. He made in effect the same 
speech which he had already made to the com- 
mittee in the morning, and pointed to the 
great audience present as incontestable proof 
that he had accomplished what he had aimed 
to do, namely, had interested the masses of 



H4 THE BLUE RIB BOAT. 

the town in the Blue Ribbon campaign. At 
the conclusion of the speech he asked those 
present if the people of Franklin wanted him 
to stay there and continue his work, and if so, 
that they would indicate it by speaking right 
out. " Yes ! " " Yes ! " " Yes ! " came in a mighty 
chorus from all parts of the house. There was 
no doubt where that audience stood regarding 
him. The committee appreciated the verdict, 
and from that time on to the close of the cam- 
paign, which proved an unusually successful 
one, no question was raised as to church 
support. 

When the campaign was almost at an end, 
Judge Horde, who had suggested to Mr. 
Murphy his attending the saloon keeper's ban- 
quet, came forward with another suggestion. 
Said Judge Horde: "See here, Murphy, now 
that your church campaign is about finished, I 
want you to do a little campaigning for me. 
You know what my position is in the matter. 
I myself am not a total abstainer, and I take a 
drink when I want to, but I believe in the 
good which your movement accomplishes, and 
I would like to have a hand in extending it. I 
know personally almost all the saloon keepers 
and barkeepers in town. Indeed they are in 
a sense my friends, and are ready to do almost 
anything I ask of them. Now I think it would 
do them no harm to hear the gospel of temper- 
ance as you preach it, and I think that I can 



' ' NED " MURPH Y >S ME THODS. 1 1 5 

persuade them to attend a special meeting for 
themselves and their families if you are willing 
to address it. We will hold it in a hall, not in 
a church. What do you say, Murphy, do you 
consent ?" 

Of course Mr. Murphy was more than ready 
to accede to Judge Horde's proposal, and so, 
after the campaign under the auspices of the 
church committee had closed, a special meet- 
ing for saloon keepers, barkeepers, and their 
families was held in a public hall, and was 
attended by almost all the representatives of 
the class in the town, the saloons being closed 
for that night. The influence of Judge Horde 
secured this attendance where there was any 
reluctance on the part of those invited to be 
present. 

The meeting was as impressive as it was 
unique. Judge Horde himself presided and 
in characteristic fashion told the audience of 
his part in getting them there, and why they 
had been brought together. Great care was 
exercised that nothing should be said or done 
through a lack of tact to spoil the effect of 
the meeting. Although there were clergymen 
present " Ned " Murphy himself took the con- 
trol of the exercises completely, not to say 
arbitrarily, into his own hands. " Ned" Mur- 
phy himself was the meeting. In opening it 
he called upon a clergyman to lead them in 
the Lord's Prayer. This prevented any " pray- 



Il6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

ing at " the despised saloon keeper. He him- 
self read the lesson from the noble 13th chapter 
of 1st Corinthians : " Love sufTereth long and 
is kind ; love envieth not ; love vaunteth not 
itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself 
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily 
provoked, thinketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in 
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all 
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
endureth all things. Love never faileth. . . 
And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three ; 
but the greatest of these is love." 

The hymns that were sung also were charac- 
terized by the same spirit of charity, and they 
were sung with a will. The first was the well 
known hymn : 

" Let us gather up the sunbeams lying all around our 
path, 

" Let us keep the wheat and roses, casting out the thorns 
and chaff. 

" Let us find our sweetest comfort in the blessings of to- 
day, 

" With a patient hand removing all the briars from the 
way." 

Then came Murphy's address. Referring 
to the lesson read he said : " The policeman's 
club fails, legislation fails, harsh words fail, 
denunciation fails, but love never fails." He 
then went on to tell them that though of 
course he did not approve of their business, 



"ATED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 117 

# 

and while as individuals they were responsible 
for being in it, he had no right, and no other 
man had a right, to stand up there and de- 
nounce them as the cause of all the misery 
which comes from the curse of drunkenness. 
In a sense their business was legitimate. They 
had the license of the government to sell 
intoxicants, and all fair-minded men must 
remember that fact in taking into considera- 
tion their responsibility for the liquor traffic. 
At the same time he urged them most strongly 
to keep within the limits of the law, and to go 
farther than that and live up to its spirit. He 
went on : " Be legitimate in your business ; do 
not sell to minors ; do not sell to those who 
are evidently in a condition to be the worse 
for it; close up at the time when the law com- 
mands you to close ; do not disgrace your 
families." 

At this point Mr. Murphy made a character- 
istic appeal to them based on their love for 
their homes. He drew a striking picture of 
the ostracism which society practices toward 
those engaged in saloon keeping. The saloon 
keeper might not care for himself, but did 
he not care when it was a question of his wife 
and daughters? He might argue that this 
ostracism was not justified, that in fact it was 
most unjust, since the wife and daughter were 
not responsible for the business of the husband 
and father. But no argument would remove 



Ii8 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the ban which society had put upon saloon 
keeping. It was not a matter to be argued 
about, it was a fact to be reckoned with. 
Would not some of those present for the 
sake of their wives and daughters, for the 
sake of those dearest to them, give up the 
business which involved so great a sacrifice of 
proper self-respect? 

But, Mr. Murphy continued, it was urged 
that there was a great deal of money to be 
made in saloon keeping. On the other hand, 
he asked, did that money last? Even if one 
did become rich, is it all of life to live, or all 
of death to die? Is there not something after 
life, something which follows death? Is it 
worth while to peril the future even for a pros- 
perous present ? Were there not those present 
who had been educated to believe in the Bible, 
and who knew that the Bible did not sanction 
the business of saloon keeping? 

Many of his audience were deeply moved. 
Mr. Murphy had touched a chord long for- 
gotten and unresponsive, but one which an- 
swered to his appeal. Quite a number of those 
present signed the pledge, especially the bar- 
keepers ; and one or two saloon keepers signed 
and gave up the business. 

This is by no means the only occasion on 
which Mr. Murphy has addressed a special 
meeting held for saloon keepers. During his 
campaign at Hartford in 1893 he held a similar 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 119 

meeting, which attracted wide attention and 
was described at length in the Hartford papers. 
In this case a saloon keeper himself offered a 
hall for the meeting, one above his saloon. 
The Hartford Times gives a graphic description 
of the meeting. It says : 

" The little hall was densely packed with 
men long before the time appointed, and when 
Mr. Murphy, Secretary Spear, the Rev. Dr. E. 
L. Thorpe, ' Ed ' Lloyd, J. F. Ripley, and a 
half a dozen newspaper men arrived they had 
hard work to get in. The crowd extended all 
down the stairway, and even out on the street 
men were standing, silently listening and try- 
to catch, now and then, through the open door- 
way a sentence or a word which fell from Mr. 
Murphy's lips. On Wells Street, under the 
windows of the hall, was collected another 
crowd. The men here too were silently listen- 
ing. Inside the hall behind four or five rows 
of seats men were standing up densely packed 
together, and in the rear men were standing on 
chairs and on the window sills. There were 
nearly 200 men in the room, and there would 
have been 500 had there been space to put 
them. Mr. William Loescher, the proprietor 
(and saloon keeper) thumped vigorously on the 
table and called the meeting to order. He 
then introduced Mr. Murphy and the crowd 
applauded. ' I want my friend, " Ed " Lloyd,' 
said Mr. Murphy, ' to sing something for us. 



120 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

We are going to have just as good a meeting 
here as at the church. There is not anything 
we have up there that you can't have here. 
No sir ! ' Mr. Lloyd sang, ' Safe in my 
Father's arms,' and was loudly applauded. 
Then the Rev. Mr. Kelsey offered a brief 
prayer. ' Men,' said Mr. Murphy holding out 
his right hand, ' I am glad to meet you, to look 
into your faces, and shake you by the hand.' 
Somehow as ' Ned ' uttered these words and 
the men looked into his face, they believed that 
he was telling the truth. A respectful, a most 
impressive silence, was maintained. Each man 
leaned forward to look and listen." 

The speech which Mr. Murphy made at this 
meeting was much the same in form and senti- 
ment as the one already quoted which was 
made at the saloon keeper's meeting in Frank- 
lin, Ind. But some of the things which he said 
are worth repeating, as the reporter has caught 
his breezy way of saying them. Among these 
things are the following : 

" I thank you for coming here to-night. I 
appreciate the honor you do me. Although 
my business is materially different from yours, 
yet we can meet and reason together. Neither 
my father nor I have ever in our work abused 
the saloon men. We have recognized that the 
man who sells is not so much to blame as the 
man who buys. No, sir ! I have never abused 
the man who sells liquor, but I have said to the 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 121 

working man with a family, if you spend two 
dollars a week in a saloon you are a stockholder 
to that amount in the liquor business, and you 
receive none of the profits. People are too apt 
to think that the liquor dealer is a kind of vul- 
ture. But I know better. A saloon keeper is 
made of the same clay as other men. He loves 
his wife and children just as do other men. 
And I tell you here to-night that liquor dealers 
have harder work and longer hours and receive 
more unjust abuse than any other class. I am 
persuaded that the same amount of energy 
and business capacity displayed in any other 
direction would insure success. But now as to 
the drink h^bit. You don't want a drunkard 
around your place, not one of you. No, sir! 
If you have a bartender that begins to ' booze ' 
and is drunk all day you discharge him. You 
do not believe in your own business ! No man 
was ever in the liquor business because he liked 
it. Every man who is in it is in it under pro- 
test. We all of us, you liquor men as well as 
the rest of us, deep down in our hearts desire 
the best." 

Mr. Murphy's speech closed with the same 
appeal which he had made in Franklin to give 
up the liquor business because of the ostracism 
incurred by the liquor seller's family. To con- 
tinue the account already quoted from : " Mr. 
Lloyd sang, ' Where is my wandering boy ? ' 
and the audience joined in the refrain, swelling 



122 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a chorus of such harmony and volume that 
Mr. Murphy was delighted. The Rev. Mr. 
Kelsey said : ' That's the best singing I have 
heard in Hartford. I wish I had that chorus 
up at my church. I wish that you would come 
up and sing for us ; you can sing, if you can't 
sign.' After a few remarks by Mr. Kelsey and 
Dr. Thorpe, Mr. Lloyd was compelled to repeat 
' My wandering boy,' and the chorus swelled 
out again. Then the meeting was dismissed 
with the benediction by Dr. Thorpe. Mr. 
Murphy read the pledge and asked if there was 
any man in the audience ready to sign with 
him. At first no one responded, but while Mr. 
Murphy was shaking hands and talking to one 
and another, several came up, and before long 
fifteen had donned the Blue Ribbon. Of these, 
three or four were bartenders." 

This perhaps does not seem to be a remark- 
able showing, but when one considers the 
character of the audience, it was remarkable. 
The reporter of the Hartford C our ant testifies 
that the crowd was made up almost exclusively 
of men who very evidently were users of liquor 
to excess, that is of hard drinkers, saloon 
keepers, bartenders, and rounders. 

It is perhaps interesting to note in this con- 
nection that " Ned " Murphy does not confine 
his efforts in reaching the ostracized classes to 
special meetings for saloon keepers. During 
this same campaign at Hartford he addressed 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 123 

a meeting of convicts in the State prison at 
Wethersfield, a suburb of Hartford. It was a 
Sunday morning, and as a reporter of the Hart- 
ford Courant describes it, " a bright beam of 
sunshine illuminated the interior of the chapel 
during Mr. Murphy's visit, and the stern, worn, 
and in many cases crime-impressed counten- 
ances of his hearers relaxed and brightened 
up with sympathetic feeling, as he talked to 
them and afterward cordially shook their 
hands. The stern discipline of the prison 
was relaxed for the occasion, and an air of 
comparative freedom prevailed under the 
watchful eye of Warden Chamberlain. In 
the gallery, separated from a large crowd of 
visitors by a partition, and secluded from 
publicity by a figured cloth screen, were the 
women prisoners. Chaplain Atwood took 
charge of the services until Mr. Murphy arose 
to speak, and then of course as usual he ' ran 
the meetinV Warden Chamberlain made a 
brief address to the prisoners, telling of Mr. 
Murphy's work in Hartford, and how he had 
himself kept his promise to them to bring Mr. 
Murphy to talk to them in the prison." 

The reporter says of Mr. Murphy's address 
that " he made one of his characteristic 
speeches, full of sympathy, love, and human 
kindness. He told the prisoners that he was 
satisfied that many of them were more weak 
than wicked, and he soon had the majority of 



124 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

them under his complete control. He told 
them funny stories, always with a moral, and 
said that he did not believe that they were in- 
corrigible. He did believe that there is always 
some good in every man, but the devilishness 
that there is in liquor does not give that good 
a chance. Mr. Murphy then appealed to them 
through the pathos of a story of a mother's 
love to resolve to lead better lives. As he 
dwelt on the love their mothers, wives, or 
children formerly bore to them many became 
restless, shifting uneasily in their seats and 
rubbing their eyes, which could be seen to fill 
with tears. Their emotions were deeply 
aroused, and it was easy to tell that many 
hearts deadened by lives of sin and crime 
were touched by Mr. Murphy's appeal. Mr. 
Murphy asked all those to hold up their 
hands who believed that if they had signed 
the pledge at eighteen years of age they would 
not have landed in State prison, and a great 
show of hands resulted. It seemed as if all 
but a very few responded. He then enlarged 
upon the effects of drinking, how it created an 
appetite, and resulted in crime, suffering, and 
sorrow. He appealed to his hearers ' by all 
that is sweet and holy in life ' to resolve that 
when they got out of prison they would stand 
on the rock of total abstinence and thus lead 
better lives. He said that he was far from 
glad to have his auditors there. He sympa- 



" NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 125 

thized with them in all their sorrow, but they 
must pay the penalty exacted by the law. He 
urged them to do their duty and perform their 
prison work faithfully. 

" A hearty laugh was raised when Mr. 
Murphy suggested that there was not much 
opportunity to go on a spree under present 
conditions, but, he added, they must look for 
temptation when they returned to society, and 
fortify themselves against it. Mr. Murphy 
told the story of Christ's love for mankind, and 
urged the men to cherish no hatred or ill-feel- 
ing. He said that he should remember them, 
and he hoped that they would remember him 
and make themselves known to him if they 
were ever where he was talking. A round of 
hearty applause was given to Mr. Murphy 
when he concluded, and the brightened faces 
of his hearers showed their appreciation of his 
remarks and the pleasure those remarks had 
brought to them. Then Warden Chamberlain 
looked at his watch, and found that it was al- 
ready noon. He asked the prisoners whether 
they could stand a cold dinner, as otherwise 
the meeting must close immediately, and the 
signing of pledges be postponed. The 
prisoners unanimously expressed a willingness 
to remain and the signing began. The men 
marched up to a table in squads, or as they 
desired to, and three ladies tied on the Blue 
Ribbons. While this was going on Mr. Murphy 



126 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

passed up and down among the men and shook 
hands with each of them. Many an eye 
moistened as Mr. Murphy spoke a word of en- 
couragement, and several of the men shed tears. 
There were 168 signers, seven of the nine 
women prisoners present being of the number. 
After the men had signed, Warden Chamberlain 
invited the deputy and the keepers to sign the 
pledge also, and said, ' I will lead the way.' 
This he did, signing a pledge card and pulling 
a Blue Ribbon through his buttonhole. Mr. 
Murphy, after a few more remarks, intimated 
that perhaps the men were getting tired and 
they had better quit, to which the men freely 
responded that they would be glad to hear 
more. But the warden evidently thought 
there had been enough relaxation, and this 
determined the matter. Thus the singularly 
successful meeting was brought to a close." 

It is interesting to note in this connection 
that one of the convicts who signed the pledge 
wrote home to his mother telling her what he 
had done. She answered his letter affection- 
ately, encouraging him in his new resolution. 
When he was discharged a little later he kept 
his pledge, and mother and son were reunited. 
The last time Mr. Murphy heard from him he 
was persevering in the right way, and was 
leading an honest, hard-working life. 

Mr. Murphy does not stop in his efforts to 
carry his meetings to those whom he wishes to 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 127 

reach, simply holding temperance meetings for 
saloon keepers or at holding them in prisons. 
It is always his custom when he is able to do 
it to hold noon meetings at the big factories of 
the place where he is conducting his campaign. 
He did this a number of times in Hartford, 
and always with very gratifying results. Per- 
haps as successful a meeting of the kind as any, 
and one as typical of his methods, was the 
meeting held at the great establishment of 
Pratt & Whitney. The Hartford Post gives 
this account of it: 

" Another good temperance shop meeting 
was conducted by Thomas E. Murphy at 12.30 
in the big lathe shop at the Pratt & Whitney 
Company's. The freight elevator was raised 
about six feet above the floor with steps lead- 
ing up to it, and a sign ' Welcome' was fastened 
overhead. There were close to 1000 men in 
the room when Contractor Frank Carter intro- 
duced Mr. Murphy, who was greeted with a 
cordial round of applause." 

Mr. Murphy's speech is thus reported in the 
Post : " Men don't drink because they are 
incorrigibly bad, or because they are mean, 
but because they like the social good-fellow- 
ship. Now, if you have made up your mind 
to drink whisky, and nothing can persuade 
you out of it, there is just one sensible way 
to do it. This is the way : Buy your whisky 
by the gallon, make your wife your bartender, 



128 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

and pay her for every drink. Now mark the 
result. When you are a helpless drunkard, 
and people say you are no good, and a loafer, 
and an ' old bum,' then your wife will have 
money enough to bury you, and to take care 
of the children. But after all is there not 
a better way? Does it not pay to be manly? 
Does it not pay to be sober ? My friends, I 
come to you to-day, in behalf of your homes, 
in behalf of your wives and children, in behalf 
of your fathers and mothers, to plead with you 
to be men yourselves, and to entreat you to 
join hands with us in ' downing ' the drink 
traffic in this city. Who will be the first man 
to step up and take this pledge card?" 

The Post thus describes what followed the 
speech: "It was a young man who was 
the first to make his way out of the crowd 
and take a pledge card, and in a moment the 
men were all crowding about the table taking 
cards. * I'll tell you what you ought to 
have here,' said Mr. Murphy, turning from 
the crowd where he was distributing cards 
and ribbons, ' and that is a workingman's 
temperance society, such as we have started 
in other places. Before I leave Hartford, I'll 
come out here again and talk it over with you.' 
About 450 cards were given out." 

Turning from Mr. Murphy's efforts to reach 
and save men in the mass, a great many stories 
might be told of his efforts to reach and 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 129 

save men as individuals. His life has been 
full of such experiences ever since he began 
his career on the platform. But perhaps as 
good a story as any to illustrate his method, 
very likely the story of all others which Mr. 
Murphy would himself select, is that of Dr. 
Sweet of New Haven. Dr. Sweet came of 
a family of " natural bone setters," known all 
through that region, but had ruined a lucrative 
practice and sunk to the gutter, a common sot. 
Ex-Senator Graham of New Haven, on chanc- 
ing to see Dr. Sweet after his reformation, 
could hardly believe his own eyes or that it 
was the same man, saying to the gentleman 
with whom he was talking: " Is it possible 
that is Dr. Sweet? If he has reformed there 
is hope for the Devil." 

The way in which Mr. Murphy became 
interested in Dr. Sweet was this. During his 
campaign in New Haven, Mrs. Ireland, the 
police matron of the city, asked Mr. Murphy 
to go to the city court one morning and say a 
few words for some mechanics who had been 
arrested for drunkenness, as, if they were sent 
to jail, it meant a severe pinch of poverty for 
their families. At Mr. Murphy's interposition 
the judge let them off, and their wives, who 
were in court, were hardly able to express their 
gratitude. Two of the men celebrated their 
release by signing the pledge, and have kept 
it ever since. Thus it came about that Mr. 



13° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Murphy was invited to take a seat on the 
bench with the judge and to watch his Honor's 
method of dealing with " drunks." Among 
the tough-looking characters, the wrecks of 
humanity lined up to tell their stories and 
receive their sentences, was one whose looks 
were tougher and who was apparently more of 
a wreck than they all. As Murphy describes 
him, he walked to the bar of police justice 
" with a shambling gait. His eyes were 
sunken, his complexion purple, and there was 
dissipation in each line and lineament of his 
face. In a voice from the subcellar of sorrow," 
he answered the routine question, " What 
have you to say for yourself ? " by telling how 
he had promised his wife to go to hear Murphy, 
the temperance lecturer; how first he made a 
call on a patient in the afternoon and was 
asked to take a drink; how that drink led to 
a number of other drinks, until he became 
hopelessly drunk and was locked up; how that 
was the reason he was where he was and had 
been unable to hear Murphy. 

The story of the man naturally interested 
Mr. Murphy. He did not know who the man 
was and the man did not know who he was, or 
that he was the " Ned " Murphy whom he 
claimed he had been anxious to hear. Mr. 
Murphy asked the judge about him. The 
judge replied by saying that he was the cele- 
brated Dr. Sweet, now a confirmed inebriate 



' ' NED " MURPH Y>S ME THODS. 1 3 1 

and a hopeless case, whom it was his duty to 
send to jail for sixty days. Murphy looked 
the man over carefully and came to the con- 
clusion that his case was not as desperate as the 
judge thought. He offered himself to go on the 
man's bond, but not being a resident of New 
Haven was legally prevented from doing so. 
A lawyer in court, who knew Mr. Murphy and 
who caught the drift of his conversation with 
the judge, stepped forward and offered to be 
Mr. Murphy's substitute. The judge accepted 
him and the bond for fifty dollars was signed. 
Dr. Sweet, overcome with surprise at the 
kindness of fate, shambled out of court, fol- 
lowed by Mr. Murphy, who shook him cordi- 
ally by the hand. " You did me a kindness, 
and I thank you," said Dr. Sweet, shaking all 
over and hardly able to command his voice. 
" You don't need to thank me," said Mr. 
Murphy, adding most unexpectedly, " Your 
debauch has killed your nerves, and what you 
need at the present moment, a good deal more 
than anything to eat, is something to drink 
to brace you up and steady you. Here is a 
quarter for you to go and get some whisky, 
and another for food if you are then able to 
take it. At twelve o'clock I want you to come 
to the New Haven House and ask for ' Ned ' 
Murphy (that's myself), and then we will talk 
your case over and see what can be done to 
help you." 



*3 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Some gentlemen who were standing around 
watching the proceedings were very much 
amused at " Ned " Murphy's way of dealing 
with a drunken wreck like Dr. Sweet. They 
chaffed him unmercifully at his gift of money 
for the purchase of whisky, and predicted that 
none of it would be spent for food, and that 
Murphy would never again see either Dr. 
Sweet or a cent of change from his half dollar. 
But Mr. Murphy stuck to his text that a dose 
of whisky in such a case was strictly medici- 
nal and absolutely necessary, and that he had 
faith to believe that there was good left in Dr. 
Sweet, and that he would turn up at the ap- 
pointed hour and place. 

" Ned " Murphy proved to be right, 
Promptly at twelve o'clock Dr. Sweet shambled 
into the New Haven House, ready for any 
course his benefactor should suggest. For 
such a case as that of Dr. Sweet, Mr. Murphy 
strongly believes in the discipline and regi- 
men of the gold cure treatment. His experi- 
ence proves that that is then efficacious, 
whether there is any value in the gold cure it- 
self as a specific or not. So he promptly sent 
Dr. Sweet to the Keeley institute near New 
Haven, and he himself became responsible to 
the manager for the expense incurred. 

Not long after that time, as Mr. Murphy was 
walking down a principal street in New Haven, 
he was stopped by a neatly dressed, but evi- 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 133 

dently poor, woman, with a most sorrowful 
face, who explained that she was Mrs. Sweet. 
She asked, in tones that went straight to the 
heart, if Mr. Murphy thought there was any 
hope for her husband. " Yes, indeed," replied 
Mr. Murphy heartily, " there is, I think, every 
ground for hope." Her answer was : " I wish 
that I could believe you, but I am afraid that 
my husband's case is hopeless." She then told 
her story — how kind and good her husband 
was when he was himself ; how he could then 
earn a fair living and support the family nicely; 
how they had two boys, Jimmy and Grover, 
who were as bright and promising boys as any 
mother could ask ; how her parents (who were 
prosperous people in Elkhart, Ind.) were con- 
stantly urging her to abandon her husband and, 
with her children, make her home with them ; 
and how she had actually been driven to take 
in washing to earn money with which to buy 
the bare necessaries of life. She added that 
her pride had so far kept her from accepting 
her parents offer, but that she could stand the 
present struggle only a little while longer, and, 
if Mr. Murphy failed in his present attempt to 
save her husband, must yield and go back to 
Elkhart. The parting between Mr. Murphy and 
Mrs. Sweet was a very affecting one, and he urged 
her in his genial, sympathetic way to hold on a 
little longer, and to have faith that all would 
yet come right. She left him greatly comforted. 



134 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Not long after the meeting of " Ned " 
Murphy and Mrs. Sweet, the Hyperion Theater 
in New Haven was crowded for one of the 
biggest rallies of the campaign. Mrs. Sweet 
attended this rally with her two boys, Jimmy 
and Grover. Hardly had the three taken their 
seats near the center of the house, when the 
keen and active eyes of the boys discovered 
the familiar form of their father among the 
conspicuous leaders and converts on the stage, 
as a vacation had been given him at the insti- 
tution to attend the rally. Naturally enough 
the two boys could not control themselves. 
They jumped up and down with delight, regard- 
less of their surroundings. A lady who was 
sitting a little behind the group remarked in an 
audible tone that she should think " those boys 
might be better trained." Mrs. Sweet turned 
around and said quietly : " Those boys have 
not seen their father for two weeks since he 
has stopped drinking, and naturally what they 
feel is too strong for restraint." Tears came 
into the lady's eyes, and her apology was as 
tender as her criticism had been bitter. 

Now Jimmy and Grover begged hard to be 
permitted to go up to the stage to speak to 
their father. The mother, of course, could 
not refuse them. So the two youngsters made 
their way down through the crowd and to a 
side door of the stage, where they called for 
Mr. Murphy. He himself was very much sur- 



"NEB" MURPHY'S METHODS. 135 

prised to find out who they were, but very 
gladly conducted them as quickly as possible 
to their father, who was occupying a front seat 
on the platform. As they rushed at him, both 
together, in the exuberance of their delight and 
joy, and their father lifted them up and gave 
them a kiss, throwing his arms around them, 
the whole audience was thrilled as by an 
electric shock. The face of Dr. Sweet was as 
familiar in that city almost as is that of the 
President of the United States in the city of 
Washington. The story of Dr. Sweet's career 
and of his partial rescue, of the great struggle 
he was making to regain his manhood, had 
been published widely in the local press and 
had been read by a large part of the audience. 
No wonder then that the sight of what a tem- 
perance pledge might do to unite a family and 
recrown a home with happiness appealed to 
every heart there and left no eye unmoistened 
by tears. The audience rose to its feet as one 
man, and cheers and applause rolled up to the 
stage in a great volume of sound. It was a 
scene never to be forgotten by those who 
were present, and it will be among the 
most cherished of all the memories of his 
experience while " Ned " Murphy continues 
to live. 

The sequel of the story is as satisfactory as 
its climax was thrilling. Dr. Sweet remained 
true to his resolution. He continued for some 



136 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

time a patient in the institute, but was finally 
restored to his family a reclaimed and reformed 
man, able to support them in comfort and give 
them a happy home. During the Murphy 
campaign in New Haven, Mrs. Sweet and 
Grover and Jimmy were, as a matter of course, 
constant attendants. A favorite game of the 
two boys was to hold a Murphy meeting all by 
themselves, one of them taking " Ned's " part 
and reproducing quite closely certain manner- 
isms of his and ways of saying things, while 
the other was orchestra and choir and led the 
singing to the accompaniment of the banjo. 
Their invariable way of closing the meeting 
was for Grover to make a little speech, rounding 
it up by asking in a stentorian voice : " Is this 
Murphy movement a success ? Well, you bet 
it is ! Dr. Sweet has not drunk a drop for six 
weeks ! " 

Another rather unique instance of Murphy's 
methods of dealing with individuals, and of its 
success where others have failed, comes quite 
a little earlier than the days of his New Haven 
campaign. It was a year or two after his mar- 
riage, and while he was principally engaged in 
work in Indiana. The type in this instance 
was entirely different from that of a man 
who needs to be reclaimed from the habit 
of strong drink. It is the type of an influen- 
tial man who, while strictly moral, and leading 
a life in which no one can pick a flaw, throws 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 137 

all his influence into the scale against Christi- 
anity and even against reforms closely identified 
with it. This was Reuben Dailey, editor of 
the Jeffersonville Evening News. Since the 
age of twenty-three (he was at the time of 
meeting Murphy forty-four) he had been an 
aggressive agnostic, and had even " taken the 
stump " for Colonel Ingersoll and his views. 
Very early in life he had been religious and 
had united with the Methodist Church. He 
had even talked of becoming himself a preacher. 
But about this time Tom Paine's " Age of 
Reason " came in his way, and the reading of 
it completely wrecked his faith. The more he 
read the more he became convinced that Chris- 
tianity was a pretense and a sham, and that he 
would have nothing to do with it. Being of 
an intense nature he never did anything half- 
way, and thus he became a belligerent defter of 
the faith, if not an out-and-out blasphemer. 
He made it a rule of his composing-room, so 
strong was his feeling, that the word " God " 
should never be capitalized, but should 
be always spelled with a small "g." As Mr. 
Dailey was generally unfriendly to men whom 
he called " agitators," and as his paper was influ- 
ential and himself personally a power, it was of 
great importance to " Ned " Murphy, on open- 
ing his campaign in Jeffersonville, to secure his 
good will, at least, if not his indorsement. 
Mr. Dailey attended Murphy's first meeting 



138 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

in Jeffersonville. Mr. Murphy was told of his 
presence and in part shaped his talk to influence 
if possible the atheist editor. So he dwelt on 
the power of kindness after a fashion very 
familiar to all who have heard him speak. At 
the close of the meeting Mr. Murphy made it 
a point to seek out the editor and, shaking 
him cordially by the hand, expressed gratifica- 
tion at his presence. The next day he called 
on the editor in his own office, whose chief 
decoration was a large picture of " Bob " In- 
gersoll. To most men of the same pronounced 
Christian principles as Murphy's this would 
have seemed to be almost a case of tempting 
fate, or of bearding the lion in his den. Mr. 
Dailey was known to be subject to moods of 
great violence, on such occasions expressing 
himself with a bitterness of vituperation that 
few cared to incur. But Mr. Murphy was re- 
ceived in a most kindly spirit. He even ven- 
tured to refer to the great Ingersoll himself, 
whom he had chanced to know personally, and 
to say whatever good things could be said of 
him from his own standpoint. He dwelt upon 
the results of the gospel temperance work in 
saving men at least for this life, and impressed 
it upon the editor that it was a work in which 
all philanthropic men could join whatever their 
religious views. 

The next evening the audience which 
gathered to hear Murphy was astounded to 



1 ' NED " MURPH Y ' S ME THODS. 1 3 9 

see Mr. Dailey, the agnostic, the aggressive fol- 
lower of Ingersoll, sitting on the platform of a 
gospel temperance meeting among clergymen 
and other Christian workers. Having put his 
hand to the plow Mr. Dailey did not turn back, 
but continued to be the staunch backer of the 
campaign to the end. It resulted in something 
more than his mere conversion to the Blue 
Ribbon army, for he became reconverted 
to Christianity and joined the Presbyterian 
Church, to which his wife belonged. He by no 
means surrendered his independence, for an ac- 
count of him in the Louisville Courier-Journal 
says he was received into the church on " the 
understanding that he was to have the privi- 
lege of retaining certain views as to particular 
passages in the Bible, until he became convinced 
that he was wrong. The views are nothing 
more,however, than are held bylarge numbers of 
professed Christians in all large congregations." 
The way in which he gave himself up to his 
new life when he was once fairly started upon 
it is thus described in the Louisville Post: 
" Reuben Dailey of the Jeffersonville News 
spoke at the Murphy meeting in the New 
Albany Opera House Saturday night, giving 
his experience since his return to Christianity. 
He said that up to a few weeks ago he had 
been as firm in his skepticism as the everlast- 
ing hills, and that he had resisted the appeal 
of a Christian mother up to the time of her 



14° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

death to yield and give himself to Christ. He 
added that had anyone predicted three weeks 
ago that he would be before a Christian audi- 
ence to-night testifying to the truth of the 
Christian faith he would have derisively 
laughed the statement to scorn. He next 
told of the way in which he met Murphy, of 
how deeply Murphy impressed him, and how 
through Murphy he had learned the way of 
return to hope and faith. In all his active 
connection with the work of temperance re- 
form, when a skeptic, he had felt the abso- 
lute necessity of Christ in heaven as a help 
and inspiration to men struggling desperately 
with appetite, and now here to-night, thank 
God, he did not have to steal his Christianity. 
He spoke with strong emotion of the self-con- 
flict he had gone through, before he could con- 
quer his proud heart so that it would permit 
him to acknowledge the error of his past life. 
He said that, as he had made a good deal of 
noise before in trying to teach infidelism and 
atheism, it would be necessary for him, to 
have the balance even, to make even more 
noise for the truth which he now accepted 
and had once derided. He promised that at 
an early day he would give a New Albany 
audience an opportunity to hear in detail the 
reasons which had impelled him to renounce 
skepticism and to come out boldly on the 
Lord's side." 



•'NED' MURPHY'S METHODS. 14 1 

One might moralize at considerable length 
were it worth while, and did not the facts 
speak so convincingly for themselves, on these 
two cases, the case of Dr. Sweet and the case 
of Editor Dailey, as representative of the diver- 
sity of type which can be reached by the same 
gospel of love and good will. Certainly no two 
cases could be more directly opposed than the 
case of a drunken sot, a castaway of society, a 
man whom everybody spurned except his 
faithful wife and two loving children, and the 
other, that of a man of strong will and up- 
right character, of wide influence in the com- 
munity where he lived, as certain of the truth 
of his views as the most eloquently earnest 
minister who ever filled a pulpit, aggressive by 
nature and by long habit, accustomed to dic- 
tate to others and not to be influenced by 
others. Yet the same geniality of personal 
kindness and loving faith put strength and 
resolution into the one man so weak and hope- 
less, and softened the proud heart and obdurate 
will of the other man fortified by years of re- 
jection against yielding to any and all pleas. 

As many a newspaper has said, "Ned" 
Murphy is a man whom it is impossible to re- 
port and whose methods it is equally impossi- 
ble to analyze. The secret of his charm is 
something which escapes the attempt to dis- 
close it in type. One must see him, and hear 
him, and meet him, to appreciate the nature 



142 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

and character of the hidden magnetism which 
draws others to him, and gives him his unique 
power over individuals and over crowds, over 
men by themselves and over men in the mass. 
But if it is impossible to reveal the secret of 
" Ned " Murphy's influence, one who is un- 
acquainted with him can guess more or less 
accurately of what kind it is from the dif- 
ferent sorts of people it affects. 

There is a certain conservative town in 
Connecticut which is very seldom deeply 
stirred by any passing movement of the day. 
It is a busy business city, with a very high 
average of general prosperity, and it prides 
itself upon being not sentimental, but practical. 
It has a representative newspaper, which has 
made for itself a considerable reputation even 
outside of New England, whose editor is a man 
of keen judgment and deliberate purpose, one 
who is seldom, if ever, excited. The editor of 
that paper went to hear " Ned " Murphy when 
he opened his campaign in that conservative 
town, more out of curiosity than anything 
else, and certainly with no idea of being him- 
self " carried away " by " Ned." Yet here is 
what he wrote of him, after hearing him once, 
in a leading editorial : 

" There is one unique and particularly strong 
thing about Thomas E. Murphy — he is better 
than advertised. In meeting a man who has 
been spoken of as being especially agreeable, 



"NED" MURPHY'S METHODS. 143 

in going to hear a propagandist who has been 
proclaimed as wonderfully eloquent, in listen- 
ing for the first time to a speaker whose 
pathetic and humorous effectiveness has been 
said to be almost unrivaled — one finds him- 
self unconsciously in a critical attitude. Mr. 
Murphy disarms such criticism at the first 
approach. One is apt to be disappointed by 
a man of whom so much has been promised 
and from whom so much is expected. Mr. 
Murphy is almost completely satisfying even 
to those of a critical temper, who interpret his 
methods by his motives and measure the effec- 
tiveness by the result. He proves himself to 
be an extraordinary combination of the enthu- 
siasm of a zealot with the sweet reasonableness 
of a tolerant man of the world. He is a man 
with a single purpose, but not a man of one 
idea. The secret, or one of the secrets of his 
success, is that he takes a cross cut to the 
hearts and the sympathies of his hearers, and 
to the imagination of those who listen to his 
hearty and picturesque addresses. He can read 
human nature as skillfully as he used to cut gran- 
ite blocks. His good-fellowship is contagious." 
In this quotation the secret of " Ned " 
Murphy's power, of his ability to reach all 
sorts and conditions of men, is disclosed as 
completely as it ever will be in type. Where 
that bit of analysis and description fails, failure 
is inevitable. 



CHAPTER V. 

SOME OF " NED " MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 

Says Carlyle in " Sartor Resartus ": "How 
much lies in laughter — the cypher-key, where- 
with we decipher the whole man ! Some men 
wear an everlasting barren simper; in the 
smile of others lies a cold glitter as of ice ; the 
fewest are able to laugh, what can be called 
laughing, but only sniff and titter and snigger 
from the throat outward ; or at best, produce 
some whiffling, husky cachinnation, as if they 
were laughing through wool ; of none such 
comes good. The man who cannot laugh is 
not only fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils ; 
but his whole life is already a treason and a 
stratagem." 

Again, in writing of Shakspere, Carlyle says : 
11 Observe his mirthfulness, his genuine over- 
flowing love of laughter ! You would say, in 
no point does he exaggerate but only in 
laughter. Fiery objurgations, words that 
pierce and burn, are to be found in Shaks- 
pere ; yet he is always in measure here ; never 
what Johnson would remark as especially a 
'good hater.' But his laughter seems to pour 
144 



SOME OF " NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 145 

from him in floods ; he heaps all manner of 
ridiculous nicknames upon the butt he is banter- 
ing, tumbles and tosses him in all sorts of 
horse play ; you would say, roars and laughs. 
And then, if not always the finest, it is always 
a genial laughter. Not at mere weakness ; at 
misery or poverty, never. No man who can 
laugh, what we call laughing, will laugh at 
these things. It is some poor character only 
desiring to laugh, and have the credit of wit, 
that does so. Laughter means sympathy ; good 
laughter is not ' the crackling of thorns under 
the pot.' Even at stupidity and pretension 
this Shakspere does not laugh otherwise than 
genially. Dogberry and Verges tickle our very 
hearts ; and we dismiss them covered with 
explosions of laughter ; but we like the poor 
fellows only the better for our laughing, and 
hope they will get on well there, and continue 
to be the Presidents of the City Watch. Such 
laughter, like sunshine on the deep sea, is very 
beautiful to me." 

One would hardly have suspected the severe 
Sage of Chelsea, the dyspeptic whose dis- 
gruntled moods damaged so much of his finest 
writing and made miserable so large a part of 
the life of his loving and beautiful wife, of so 
just and sincere an appreciation of the high 
quality of laughter. No one would ever have 
thought of Carlyle as a philosopher who would 
test the character of a man by his ability to 



146 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

laugh naturally and heartily. But this strange 
life that was so intense, and that apparently 
saw so little of the laughter side of the world — 
except as indicated by the bitterness of its deep 
cutting sarcasm — measures at its full value the 
laughter instinct of human nature. 

There is another cynic who has something to 
say on this subject of laughter worth the quot- 
ing. It is Thackeray, who looked at the world 
from a standpoint very different from Carlyle's, 
to whom its drawing room life, rather than the 
realities of its stern struggles and deeper am- 
bitions, appealed. This cynic of the surface 
and the superficialities says in " Vanity Fair," 
perhaps the most cynical of all his novels : 
" The world is a looking-glass, and gives back 
to every man the reflection of his own face. 
Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon 
you ; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly, 
kind companion." 

So then in Carlyle's opinion laughter is the 
touch-stone of sincerity in character, while in 
Thackeray's opinion laughter is the key to suc- 
cess in life. The man who is sincere and suc- 
cessful is the man who sees the humors of the 
world, its ridiculous situations, and who by his 
obtrusive geniality wins others to see the 
humorous side of the world, too. " But," says 
an unknown philosopher, " you cannot paint a 
smile, you cannot photograph a peal of laughter, 
you cannot delineate the pressure of a hand." 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 147 

In other words the quality which sends a man 
out into the worW laughing and an inspirer of 
laughter, the quality which for the lack of a 
better word we call geniality or comradeship, is 
one of the most elusive of all the qualities of 
human nature when one attempts to paint or 
describe its charm. 

It is this quality of laughter-making, in the 
most unexpected ways and at the most unex- 
pected times, which dominates and pervades 
all of " Ned " Murphy's speeches. It is this 
which makes all reports of him so unsatisfac- 
tory, almost caricatures. The mirth-provoking 
quality is absent ; it has eluded the attempt to 
paint, or photograph, or describe it ; it lurks in 
the way in which a thing is said, in a look or 
tone, and it refuses to come out and be repro- 
duced. 

One of the most skillful professionals in the 
art of speech taking, a specialist employed by 
Mr. Henry C. Bowen to report the speeches of 
his guests at one of his famous Fourth of July 
celebrations in Woodstock, Conn., — the one in 
1893 — discovered this to his dismay when he 
attempted to follow " Ned " Murphy. -Says 
the Independent editorially of the stenographi- 
cal failure : " Mr. Murphy's address, which 
we are sorry to say has proved too much for 
our reporter, probably interested the people 
more than any other. It was dramatic and full 
of stories. One was reminded of the address 



148 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

that John B. Gough gave at this same Rose- 
land Park in 1883. Mr. Mur£>hy has a way of 
beginning one story, and then switching off 
on to a second or third, but he always picks up 
the dropped thread and finishes what he began. 
He is a young man, a pupil of his father, Francis 
Murphy, and he cares not half so much for 
prohibition by law as for prohibition by individ- 
ual self-restraint. He has done a great work." 

And in another place editorially in the same 
issue of the Independent the inability to report 
Mr. Murphy satisfactorily is referred to thus : 
" Mr. Murphy — you cannot describe, you can- 
not report, a whirlwind. Others may be read, 
he must be heard." 

On this occasion at Woodstock Mr. Murphy 
came into comparison with some of the most 
eminent men in the country. Among Mr. 
Bowen's guests on that Fourth were Justice 
Brewer of the United States Supreme Court; 
the Rev. Dr. R. S. McArthur, the well known 
Baptist clergyman of New York ; Senator 
Joseph R. Hawley of Connecticut ; Maurice 
Thompson and Austin G. Fox, the poets ; Miss 
Edith M. Thomas, also a poet ; Mrs. Julia 
Ward Howe, and President Seth Low of Co- 
lumbia University. The president of the day 
was President Low, and in introducing " Ned " 
Murphy he said : 

" At the center of the world's wealth, I sup- 
pose, stands the Royal Exchange in the heart 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 149 

of the City of London. Upon the front of 
that edifice there is carved a text from Scrip- 
ture, one of those happy selections that delight 
the heart whenever they are seen. Remember, 
if you please, that it stands as the representa- 
tive of all the wealth of the world, and the text 
is: 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness 
thereof.' Another text chosen with equal 
felicity, as it seems to me, is found upon the 
only chapel belonging to the Government of 
the United States — the chapel at West Point 
(there may be another at Annapolis, but that I 
do not know). However the text inscribed 
there is : ' Righteousness exalteth a nation, but 
sin is a reproach to any people.' That is the 
doctrine under which our soldiers learn their 
lessons. Now, among the traits which an inde- 
pendent people must strongly develop if they 
are to remain independent and to grow into the 
virtues of independence, is that doubtless of 
self-control. One of the forms in which men 
show themselves weakest is in the direction of 
intemperance in alcoholic liquors. Among the 
men who have fought that evil most conspicu- 
ously and bravely will be found the name of 
Francis Murphy, a man whom all honor who 
stand up for those who fight for a good cause. 
Men will differ naturally on this or that remedy 
for intemperance, but no one who deserves the 
name of a man will withhold his meed of praise 
from anyone who does what he can to 



15° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

strengthen the hold of temperance upon the 
minds and hearts of the people. We have with 
us to-day the son of Francis Murphy, and I 
have great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. 
Thomas Edward Murphy, who will address us." 

At the conclusion of Mr. Murphy's address 
President Low, as the president of the day, 
said : "If I ever have the opportunity of 
introducing Mr. Francis Murphy to an audi- 
ence I shall introduce him as the father of his 
son." 

This pat compliment called out much 
laughter and long continued applause, and 
shows the impression produced by Mr. Mur- 
phy's address on an unusual audience. A 
large portion of the same address was delivered 
not long after at the great convention of Chris- 
tian Endeavorers in Montreal, and it may be 
appropriately added here that " Father " Clarke, 
the founder of the Christian Endeavorers, was 
one of Mr. Murphy's strongest and most en- 
thusiastic supporters during his temperance 
campaign in Boston in the spring of 1894. 
For the reason that this address has been 
delivered before two such representative audi- 
ences on unusual occasions, and that it is per- 
haps the only one of Mr. Murphy's addresses 
which has been reported with any attempt 
at stenographic fullness, it is proposed here 
to reproduce it as it appeared in the hide- 
pendent. The subject of the address was 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 151 

" Gospel Temperance Reform." Mr. Murphy 
said : 



" Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen : I 
am grateful for being presented to this magnifi- 
cent assemblage as the son of my father. I 
believe him to be the best man in the world. 
Some of you may say that this assertion 
sounds somewhat egotistical. Perhaps it does, 
and if there be any odium connected with it, 
I am willing to bear it ; for I believe that a 
young man who has a good, kind father should 
think him just a little better than any other 
man in the world : and I believe further that 
a daughter who has a good, kind mother should 
think her a little better than any other woman 
in the world. In other words, I believe in the 
divine command: 'Honor thy father and 
mother, that thy days may be long in the land 
which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' I thank 
you, sir, for your tribute to my father. 

" I am announced to address you on the 
subject of Gospel Temperance Reform, and I 
will preface my address by tracing the history 
of some reforms, in pointing out the analogy 
between them and the Gospel Temperance 
Reform. 

" There are two great principles in this 
world, formation and reformation. When God 
made this eartli he formed it, and great and 
majestic was the formation. Since then man 



152 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

was formed, and a work only a little less divine 
has been going on ever since. Reforms are the 
life of the world ; and the reformers, though 
perhaps not recognized in their own day, have 
since been looked upon as those who have 
marked out the path humanity should go in its 
progressive career. There was a time when 
the horizon of religious life grew dim, and 
when the hope of light and love and joy of the 
Christian heart had almost faded away ; and 
as one looked out on the tempest of infidelity 
which had arisen he was tempted almost to 
doubt the existence of the divine Creator him- 
self. But as Cowper has so beautifully said : 

" ' God moves in a mysterious way 
His wonders to perform ; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea, 
And rides upon the storm.' 

And, in his own good time, he raised up a man 
whom he had anointed and sent forth as an 
apostle, and his preaching and his writing 
shook the German empire from center to cir- 
cumference, and on the wings of influence was 
carried over the sunny fields of France, and, 
upon crossing the English Channel and making 
its advent in that grand and ancient country, 
the people realized that the dawn of religious 
liberty was at last at hand. 

" I might allude to the ' Revolutionary 
period of American colonial days, but I will 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 153 

pass on to a more recent period when God in 
his wisdom visited on our land severe and dis- 
astrous afflictions, such as but few nations 
have been called upon to endure ; for, of all 
wars, a war of sections under the same govern- 
ment is the most disastrous and vindictive. 

" But when reform is needed, it must come 
either by peaceful measures or by a resort to 
the more potent arbitrament of arms. 

" The curse of slavery rested upon us and 
for years had been a source of strife and con- 
tention, and it was apparent that our govern- 
ment could not much longer retain its stability 
if that accursed stumbling-block to national 
progress was not forever removed. You will 
remember that peaceful measures and compro- 
mises were resorted to, but they proved vain. 
Finally fierce war, with all its desolation, inter- 
vened and resulted in striking the shackles 
from over 3,000,000 of God's down-trodden 
children. And to-day, like the Union Jack, 
wherever the Stars and Stripes wave, they 
are acknowledged as the standard for phys- 
ical, intellectual, and religious liberty. And 
we, as lovers of truth, of virtue, and of justice, 
thank God for it. 

" In pointing out the analogy between these 
reforms, to which I have briefly alluded, I 
would say, in the first place, that they were 
advocated for a long time by a minority of the 
people. This is the same difficulty with which 






154 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the cause of Gospel Temperance Reform has 
had to contend ever since its inauguration ; 
and because of this fact a great many good 
and excellent Christian people treat it with 
indifference. To be consistent these people 
should also treat Christianity with indifference. 
For alas ! Christianity has been, and still is, 
represented by only one-tenth of the inhabi- 
tants of the nations of the earth. Is Christian- 
ity therefore to be distrusted ? Is it therefore 
in the wrong ? Are the precious promises of 
our Bible a delusion ? Are its doctrines fables ? 
Are its fruits of the spirit apples of Sodom and 
Gomorrah ? Are its acts of benevolence a 
mistake ? Will the New Jerusalem be without 
foundation ? Will its eternal mansions be with- 
out inhabitants ? Will its rivers of delight 
become waters of Marah ? Will its eternal 
throne be without its King? Yea, will God 
himself be a liar, until we have at least one 
more in the ranks of Christianity than is to be 
numbered in the proud ranks of her foes? 
Nay, verily. 

" ' Truth forever on the scaffold ; 

Wrong forever on the throne ; 
Yet that scaffold sways the future, 

And behind the dim unknown 
Standeth God within the shadow, 

Keeping watch above his own.' 

And in the end right shall be victorious. 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 155 

" The argument is baseless which asserts 
that a reform or principle is wrong because it 
is represented by a few or by a minority. To 
illustrate the truth of this let me relate an inci- 
dent. It concerns a man who signed the pledge 
and who was solicitous to get others to do the 
same. In other words he was possessed by 
the missionary spirit. He was a worker ; and 
whenever he met an acquaintance he would 
ask him to sign his name to a total abstinence 
pledge card. In doing this work he came into 
contact with a prominent citizen to whom he 
said : ' You have always been profuse in your 
expressions of sympathy for the cause of tem- 
perance, and we would like to have you practi- 
cally identified with us. So I will be glad to 
have your signature recorded on the roll of 
pledged abstainers.' The gentleman said in 
reply: 'I do not care to identify myself with 
your movement. Temperance is all very well 
in a way ; but the advocates of it are in such a 
minority that I cannot seriously consider the 
proposition you make.' 'Why?' said the 
young man, 'because the minority is wrong?' 
' Certainly,' he replied, ' this is a country where 
the majority rules, and the minority necessarily 
is wrong.' ' If that be true,' said the advocate 
of reform, ' then I would like to ask you how 
you would like to have been in the majority at 
the time of the flood ? ' 

" And if you remember the history of those 



156 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

in the olden time, the minorities that were 
right, you will remember how also eventually 
they triumphed. So with the temperance 
people to-day; though we may be in the 
minority we can derive consolation from the 
fact that the principle we advocate is right, 
and right must and shall eventually triumph. 

" ' Truth crushed to earth will rise again : 
The eternal years of God are hers. 
But Error wounded writhes in pain, 
And dies amid her worshipers.' 

" Again, all these reforms are in the interest 
of physical, intellectual, and religious liberty. 
So is Gospel Temperance Reform. The man 
who is so unfortunate as to fall beneath the 
power of intoxicating liquor, and become a 
drunkard, and who goes reeling and staggering 
through the streets, has no control over himself, 
and he, therefore, does not enjoy physical 
liberty. The man who is a drunkard has no 
intellectual freedom. Science declares that 
alcohol clogs the brain cells, shatters the nerve 
centers, vitiates the mind, and distorts the 
reason. He who is thus diseased cannot enjoy 
intellectual freedom. As for religion, it is 
unnecessary to argue that the moral and 
spiritual force and tone of the individual who 
has become a slave to this passion has been 
almost irretrievably lost. 

" Therefore, if we apply the force of reason 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 157 

to this analysis, we find that the Gospel Tem- 
perance Reform in its present attitude is in 
the interest, directly so, of the fundamental 
principles that underlie the government not 
only of Great Britain but also of America. 
For it is the glory of these nations that they 
preserve inviolate the physical, intellectual, and 
religious liberty of the lowliest of their sub- 
jects. This being true, then we, the people 
who compose the government — for the govern- 
ment in a popular sense in both these countries 
is of the people, for the people, and by the peo- 
ple, they electing the members of Congress 
and the members of the House of Commons, 
and the legislation of these bodies simply 
reflecting the sentiments of their respective 
constituencies — I say that we the people, who 
create and are the governing power, have then 
a duty to perform in this matter of temperance. 
What is that duty? That we shall exert our 
efforts and put forth our energies to hasten the 
coming of that day when the sentiment that 
now sustains the drink traffic shall be replaced 
by a total abstinence sentiment. 

" How this shall be best brought about is 
the question that naturally suggests itself. 
There are those who claim that the reform 
should be brought about through the ballot-box. 
If the strength and sustaining force were in 
the ballot-box, there would be a possibility of 
dethroning intemperance in that way. But 



158 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

unfortunately, the root of the evil is not there, 
nor is it in the open saloon, nor is it to be found 
in the distillery ; but it is grounded, and, I 
regret to say, it flourishes, in the passions, the 
appetites, and customs of the people, the 
people who are the governing power. 

" Public sentiment is the basis of law, and 
public sentiment is simply individual senti- 
ment taken in the aggregate. A spring can- 
not rise higher than its source. And pro- 
hibition, to be successful, must be the out- 
growth of a sentiment which is based upon 
the sacrifice involved in total abstinence, en- 
forced in the individual lives of the people 
of this nation. This involves agitation, educa- 
tion, and regeneration. To educate the public 
mind and awaken the public conscience are 
equivalent to enacting laws upon the subject, 
because out of the mind and heart of the 
people the laws of the land are made. The 
people need to recognize their responsibility 
as individuals. We should lay it down as a 
principle, that while men are licensed to sell 
liquor none have a license to take the cunning 
from the hand of any man, the genius from his 
brain, or the happiness from his home. If 
these are offered up as a sacrifice to Bacchus, 
it is a voluntary sacrifice, for it is by the con- 
sent of their possessor. 

" Too much stress cannot be laid on the 
power of example. Especially is this true of 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 15 9 

young men and young women. It is an easy 
matter for a young man to fall, but it requires 
almost superhuman effort to rise again. Our 
aim should be to make the drinking customs 
of society unpopular. One needs to-day the 
manliness and the heroism that will not bow 
the knee to Baal. It is the prerogative of 
all to be free and untrammeled. That young 
man who hopes to achieve success, who desires 
to write his name high on the roll of honor, 
whose purpose it is to be a blessing to his 
father and mother, an honor to his country, 
and a servant of his God, should not, must 
not, allow himself to become contaminated 
even by the slightest shadow of a shade of 
acquiesence in the convivial habits of the day. 
"I wish I might be able to impress on you, 
young ladies, the almost magical power for 
good which you possess, if you choose to use it, 
in behalf of these principles. Wilberforce once 
said : ' Give me the mothers and the daughters 
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain to 
work as a unit, and I will free the slaves.' 
And the young ladies went up and down 
through the various cities with a petition to 
which they received the signatures of six mil- 
lion citizens, praying the Commons to appro- 
priate twenty millions of money to ransom the 
oppressed on the Island of Jamaica. On the 
night that Wilberforce stood up to make his 
final appeal his eyes rested upon that petition, 



160 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

and his tongue grew more eloquent than it had 
even been before, and was able to awaken the 
slumbering conscience of that Parliament, to 
seize and drag it up before the throne of eter- 
nal justice. The bill was passed and seven 
hundred thousand slaves on the Island of 
Jamaica were free, and sang, ' Praise God from 
whom all blessings flow.' 

" Give to the cause of Temperance Reform the 
young ladies of the country to work as a unit 
in their gracious persuasive way in behalf of 
the principle of total abstinence, and in a few 
years the young men would be so impressed 
with the virtue of sobriety that the practice of 
tippling would disappear from their lives. 

" So many young ladies look upon the social 
custom of drinking wine as a trivial matter. 
But let us consider it for a moment seriously 
and ask ourselves the question : ' Who were 
the drunkards of to-day twenty or thirty years 
ago?' The answer comes swift and sure: 
' They were the young men of twenty or thirty 
years ago.' Again let us ask : ' Who were 
the wives of the drunkards of to-day twenty or 
thirty years ago ? ' Again we hear the answer : 
' They were the young girls of twenty or thirty 
years ago.' Where are the drunkards of thirty 
years hence to come from ? They will be 
recruited from the ranks of the young men 
who are growing up to-day. Where are the 
wives of the drunkards of thirty years hence to 



SOME OF ' ' NED " MURPH Y ' S SPEECHES. 1 6 1 

come from ? They will be recruited from the 
ranks of the young women who are growing 
up to-day. 

" Thus we see that the domestic happiness 
of myriads depends largely upon the success 
of the principle which we are now considering. 
I do not wish to make a gospel out of temper- 
ance alone. I recognize that there are other 
evils in the world. I believe not only in total 
abstinence, but also in that royal, rugged man- 
liness which is the outgrowth of assiduous 
application and persistent purpose in the 
cultivation of all the Christian virtues. 

" There is a point on which I wish to touch 
briefly in passing. It is this: Why do many 
young men wend their way to the various' 
churches somewhere about the time the bene- 
diction is pronounced ? Is it because they are 
anxious for a chance to shake hands with the 
pastor ? I wish it might be so. But observa- 
tion leads me to say that they find it con- 
venient to go about that time so that they may 
have a chance to meet their friends of the fair 
sex and walk home with them. Now I be- 
lieve that every young lady has it in her 
power to exert an influence which will result in 
the young men coming to the service as well as 
to the benediction. If I overestimate this in- 
fluence, if the society of young ladies is not 
sufficiently desired to make the service inter- 
esting, then I believe such young women owe 



1 62 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

it to themselves, to the sacredness of their 
womanhood, to say to those young men that 
they cannot meet them at the door of the 
church. 

" I have already trespassed upon your time, 
and in closing I would say, as a representative 
of Gospel Temperance, that I am an optimist. 
The signs of the times all point to success. 
The trend of thought, the trend of sentiment 
in the professions, in the marts of trade, in the 
world of commerce and statesmanship, is all the 
time more and more surely coming into line 
with this principle. 

" Let us teach the possibilities which lie be- 
fore true manhood and true womanhood. 

" There is an example in American history 
which should be an inspiration to us all. It 
concerns a young man who was born in obscur- 
ity, who was rocked in the cradle of poverty. 
It is said of him that he never had a pair of 
shoes until he was six years of age. His father 
died when he was so young that he did not 
remember him. But he had a godly mother, 
and from her he inherited a sweetness and 
strength of character which made him pre-emi- 
nent among his fellows. While yet a lad he 
realized the struggle that it was for his mother 
to keep the family together, and he said, ' I 
will seek for work that I may be a help to her.' 
So he left his home and obtained work as 
driver of a mule on a towpath. As he walked 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 163 

along in his humble work and looked forth upon 
the handiwork of God as it was spread out in 
nature before him, his young heart was stirred, 
and visions of future usefulness dawned upon 
him. He longed for an education, and spurred 
by a pluck and energy that laughed at difficul- 
ties and overcame obstacles, he went to the 
president of a college and said : ' If you will 
let me come here to study I will work to pay 
for my tuition.' The president asked him 
what he thought he could do, and he said he 
could run errands, do chores, and feed the 
stoves. He was admitted, and it was not long 
before he stood at the head of his class. In 
time he was graduated with the highest 
honors. 

" When the war broke out he entered the 
army, and distinguished himself for bravery 
upon the battlefield. Abraham Lincoln asked 
him to resign his commission so that he might 
run for Congress, which he did, and was tri- 
umphantly elected ; and he stood in the House 
of Representatives like a pillar in the temple of 
justice. He successfully met all the arguments 
advanced by the opposition, taking them up 
seriatim, and exposing their most hidden 
sophistries. He was instrumental in adding 
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to 
the Constitution of the United States. From 
the lower House he was elevated to the Senate. 
At a convention held in the city of Chicago to 



1 64 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

nominate a man for the grandest office within 
the gift of a free people his name was presented 
and he received the nomination. When elec- 
tion day came the voters ratified his nomination 
at the polls, and he became the President-elect 
of the United States. 

" As the day for his inauguration approached 
he turned to his mother in their home and 
said : ' I wish you to go to Washington with 
me.' But she replied : ' I would be out of 
place among the grand folks of the capital of 
the nation. I will remain at home, my son, 
and pray for you.' Then he replied : ' Mother, 
I will not go without you.' And so they went 
to Washington together. 

" The supreme moment arrived. The time 
had come for the ceremony. As he left his 
quarters in the Riggs House his mother was 
leaning on his arm. They entered the carriage 
together and were driven to the Capitol where 
100,000 people were waiting to receive him. 
Seated on the raised platform, which had been 
built for the occasion, were the ministers pleni- 
potentiary of foreign nations, the Justices of 
the Supreme Court in their robes of office, dis- 
tinguished statesmen, and men of eminence in 
all walks of life. But the chair of honor was 
empty awaiting his arrival. He refused to take 
it, resigning it to his mother. It was under 
these circumstances that he took the oath to 
obey the Constitution, delivered his inaugural 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 165 

address, and outlined his policy. When he 
had finished, be it said for the everlasting 
credit of American manhood, he turned about 
and taking his mother in his arms, kissed her. 
From that moment until this every lover of 
mother has found a home in his heart for 
James A. Garfield. 

" Thus it is that in fulfilling the divine com- 
mand, ' Honor thy father and thy mother/ 
honors come to us. Garfield was the embodi- 
ment of a life that was rounded out by the 
teachings of Jesus Christ. Let us emulate his 
example. In the language of the poet ; 

" ' Let us live for those who love us, 
For the friends who know us true, 

For the heaven that smiles above us, 
And awaits our spirits too ; 

For the cause that lacks assistance ; 

For the wrongs that need resistance ; 

For the future in the distance, 
And the good that we may do.' " 

Another speech quite in contrast to the one 
above given, but in its way much more charac- 
teristic of Murphy s usual method of address, is 
one which he often gives at men's meetings 
on Sunday afternoons. In it he tell the story 
of the Prodigal Son. It is a speech adapted 
to catch the ear of a popular audience, and to 
make an impression where a more conven- 
tional treatment of the subject would utterly 
fail. To read the speech in cold type gives it 



1 66 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a more or less flippant tone, which those who 
have heard it delivered will unite in testifying 
certainly does not characterize it when spoken. 
The things which Murphy may say as he says 
them are never irreverent, because his rever- 
ence of the spirit is obvious to any audience 
he ever addressed. The speech is intended 
to modernize, to tell in nineteenth century 
language, the familiar story of the Prodigal 
Son. That it brings home to the average 
people many things that they failed to realize 
when reading the story in the Eastern form 
given to it in the Bible is something which 
its success, wherever Murphy has delivered it, 
puts beyond question. The report here given 
is taken from the columns of the Worcester 
Telegram. 

The speaker stated his text : " A certain 
man had two sons, and the younger of them 
said to his father, * Father, give me the portion 
of goods that falleth to me.' And he divided 
unto them his living." 

" It is fair to presume," said the speaker, 
" that this young man had a comfortable home. 
It is no exaggeration to say that he came from 
a leading family. He was surrounded by all 
the influences calculated to develop the best 
possibilities of human nature. I presume he 
was favored with an excellent education, and it 
would not surprise me if he moved in the circle 
of the ' Four Hundred.' He probably was a 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 167 

leader in all that contributes to social enjoy- 
ment. After a time, however, he got dissatis- 
fied. He had been under the parental roof so 
long that he began to chafe a little under the 
discipline, and he made up his mind that he 
would see the world. So he went to his father 
and said : ' Father, I want you to give me my 
portion.' 

" I presume the father was a little surprised, 
and said to his boy : ' Why do you ask me for 
this ? ' And the lad probably replied : ' I am 
anxious to go out into the world and see some- 
thing. I want to be responsible for my own 
future.' Then the father may have said : ' We 
have a nice home here. Your sisters are 
delighted in your company, and we are living 
under a halo of peace, and comfort, and happi- 
ness.' But the boy insisted on having his por- 
tion and the father must have folded his arms 
and, looking at the boy, said : ' Well, if you 
want to go so bad, I suppose I must comply.' 

" If you notice it, there is not any mention 
in this chapter of mother; but it seems to me I 
can see here there close at her boy's elbow, and 
when the father stood dividing the goods I 
think I can hear her say : ' Father, give him 
just a little more.' And so the boy got his 
portion and said : 4 Now I will go up to the 
great city — San Francisco, perhaps.' The boys 
heard that he was going. Friends gathered 
about him and said : ' Well done ! ' And so he 



1 68 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

started to go. At the brow of the hill he 
turned around to catch a last look at the old 
homestead. He saw mother standing at the 
door, and she waved her handkerchief to him. 
" He landed in the city. What did he do ? 
' He wasted his substance in riotous living.' 
He fell in with a lot of 'the boys,' and they 
knew from his appearance that he was innocent 
of the ways that are devious and tricks that are 
dark. He said : ' I will open a small bottle of 
Mumm's Extra Dry,' and they had more than 
one, and more than that. Well, the boys 
looked at him and sized him up. They said : 
' This is a tenderfoot.' There is a little game 
going on yonder, and he said, ' I will buy a 
stack of reds.' He put them on the ace and 
lost. He went on, perhaps, and bought a 
number of stacks, and he tried the roulette 
wheel, and he put them on the double O. 
Luck was against him every time. When his 
last nickel was gone — have you ever been 
there ? if you have, you will realize that it is 
a sad predicament — when he had spent all, 
1 there arose a mighty famine in that land, and 
he began to be in want.' The nearest he could 
get to roast beef was to look at it through a 
window. He was like most of us, he subsisted 
on what he ate. Do you know the redeeming 
feature of this lad ? He realized his position. 
He said : ' I have brought this upon myself, 
and I am hungry.' 



SOME OF ' ' NED ' ' M URPH Y ' S SPEE CHE S. 169 

" He had a box overcoat which was made for 
him just before he left home, and he saw the 
three balls hanging up yonder. He went in 
and left his overcoat with his ' uncle.' He 
spent that overcoat money, and then he got rid 
of a pair of patent leather shoes. This went 
on until he had disposed of all his resources. 
Then he said : ■ I won't be a loafer ; I won't 
be a wall flower ; I'll go to work.' And I want 
to tell you that the gold of God's manhood rises 
superior to difficulties, and breaks away from 
evil when it is supported by honesty of purpose. 

" He got down there into the market, this 
prodigal, went up to an old farmer, and asked 
him : ' Do you want to hire a man ?' That old 
farmer looked him over and took in his ward- 
robe — took in his uniform, if you please. He 
did not have enough on to flag a freight train. 
The farmer said : ' I don't know what to think 
of you.' Ah, the hardness of the human heart ! 
No wonder the poet wrote : ' Alas for the rarity 
of Christian charity.' However, the farmer said 
at last to the young man : * Well, I've got some 
hogs down there ; you may feel at home among 
them.' We see a fellow that's ragged, and we 
turn away from him I want to tell you that 
Christ came, not to save those who are all 
right, but to save those who are unfortunate, 
and those are the men we want to get hold of 
here and now. Well, the boy said : 'I'll go 
down there/ 



17° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" The farmer sent him over in the field to 
herd swine. As he stood there a fit of retro- 
spection came over him. I tell you if we were 
only half as pious when we are prosperous as 
when we are in hard times, we should be 
pointed heavenward most of the time. As he 
looked around, ' he would fain have filled his 
belly with the husks that the swine did eat.' 
Have you ever been hungry ? Do you know 
anything about the feelings of a man who is 
fighting the gnawings of an unsatisfied appetite ? 
If you have ever been so situated yourself, you 
have nothing in your heart but pity, nothing in 
your hand but encouragement. 

" And he thought : ' How many hired serv- 
ants of my father have bread enough and to 
spare.' And he thought of the nice cup of 
coffee he used to have at breakfast, and the 
nice buckwheat cakes and molasses on them. 
He thought of his mother, and he said to him- 
self : ' I would like to hear the voice of my 
sisters, but I am a little afraid of my father.' 
But he made a resolve and said to himself 
again : ' I will quit this and I will go back and 
say : " I don't want to be called your son. I 
don't deserve to be." ' Some people when 
they are converted want to boss the whole 
family. If a man gets converted, and then 
does not get up and build the fire these cold 
mornings, then he ought to go back and be 
converted over. (I talk this way because I am 



SOME OF "JVED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 171 

not keeping house. But I do believe in it all 
the same.) 

" Well, the prodigal said : ' I will go home,' 
and he started along home. He walked along 
that road. What a road it was too ! Awfully 
rocky ! Yes, sir, full of pebbles and stones, 
and he was ' on his uppers ' at that. I know 
just what I am talking about. I do, I assure 
you. And he came to that old hill which he 
had not seen in so long a time, and he said : ' I 
wonder what they will do with me ? I wish 
father was away from home. If I could get 
near mother why she would make it all right 
for me.' But the story says : ' But when he 
was a great way off his father saw him, and 
had compassion on him, and ran and fell upon 
his neck and kissed him.' There are men in 
this house who have got boys. Some of them 
have gone to California, to Ohio, or Indiana, 
to make a fortune. And you can see those 
fathers with the love of their boys in their 
eyes, and you know how they are thinking : 
1 Oh ! if he could only be here on Thanksgiv- 
ing Day!' How that would please the dear 
old gentleman ! Ah, those boys, how they 
knit us together, how they hold us, and how 
sweet it would be if we could only draw them 
close to us ! ' The father saw him a great 
way off.' What did he do ? Get a big club ? 
Did he say : ' There, he is coming now ; I 
can " lay " for him ' ? Did he say that ? No, 



172 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

sir, no ! He said : ' That form over yonder is 
familiar, I think that is my dear boy.' His 
heart overflowed with joy. He ran out, and 
met his boy, and put his arms around his neck, 
and kissed him. 

" The boy felt bad. He was not expecting 
that kind of a reception. He began to make 
his little speech : ' Father, I have sinned 
against you — ' but the father said ' Stop that.' 
He caught sight of the boy's uniform, and he 
cried : ' Bring forth the best robe and put it 
on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes 
on his feet.' Why did the father want to do 
all this? I'll tell you. He knew what a hard 
time his boy had had, that he had paid the 
penalty, that he had found out what sin is 
and had now come home. He thought also 
that some of the neighbors might come down 
to see him, and he did not want those neigh- 
bors to see the boy in his old clothes. So he 
said : ' Put on the best robe and give him the 
best of everything.' Then when the neighbors 
see the robe and the shoes and the ring they 
will say : ' He has been moderately successful.' 

" Don't you see that the father made it easy 
for the boy to be saved ? He encouraged 
his boy, that's the divine prescription for sin. 
That is the divine medicine that cures the 
awful leprosy of sin. If there is any wayward, 
wandering man in this house this afternoon, 
who is willing to own that he has gone wrong, 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 173 

and to resolve that with God's help he will 
do better in the future, let him go back to his 
Father's house, and he will find the door wide 
open. That is the whole of the Saviour's 
beautiful story of the Prodigal Son. God 
makes salvation easy for us. Try it now and 
here, put it to the test, and you will find that it 
is all true." 

On the Saturday preceding this Sunday 
speech Mr. Murphy had been one of a great 
crowd of spectators at the Harvard-Yale foot- 
ball contest in Springfield. Later in this Sun- 
day speech, he referred to the game in his 
characteristic fashion. Such a reference illus- 
trates Mr. Murphy's method of turning to 
account any happening which is uppermost in 
the popular mind. For this reason it seems 
worth while to quote this passage, with some 
others following it, which are typical of his 
way of talking. He said : 

" I was over at the football game yesterday, 
and I watched that wonderful struggle with 
25,000 people shouting and cheering. I sat in 
front of six gentlemen, with my wife alongside 
of me. I said to her : * Maggie, are you cold ? ' 
She replied: 'No, Ned, are you?' I said: 
' No.' But those men behind us said : ' It's 
awful cold.' And they pulled out a bottle. 
I think that bottle was pulled out five or six 
times during the game. I want to tell you 
that the man who kept the farthest from the 



174 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

North Pole during that game was a total absti- 
nence man. And I want to tell you that the 
man in hot weather who is nearest the North 
Pole is a total abstinence man. And I want 
to say right here that two-thirds of the sun- 
strokes in this nation last year were among 
those that drank beer and whisky. 

"When the teams came out for the last half, 
as Yale marched down the field there was blood 
in her eye. Yes, sir ! And the wind was 
against her, too. Harvard had the wind at her 
back. Every muscle was strained to its utmost 
tension. Harvard seemed a solid wall. But 
Yale burst through it and got the ball to within 
five yards of Harvard's goal. They had to 
gain three yards to keep the ball. Will they 
do it ? Finally the supreme effort came. Yale 
rushed onward. Yale gained a touchdown, 
and I want to tell you that she did it on a diet 
of total abstinence ! It is the sober man that 
wins. You have the possibilities of your own 
life wrapped up in the goal of your own indi- 
viduality. Preserve that and stand firm in the 
dignity of truth and manhood, and as sure as 
you're alive a touchdown will come and you 
will be a winner. There was a lot of superflu- 
ous enthusiasm gotten rid of in that game, but 
in that crowd of 25,000 people, to the credit and 
honor of this old Bay State let me say it, I did 
not see one intoxicated man. And that re- 
minds me of a story : 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 175 

" There was once an old farmer who did not 
want his boy to drink anything, and who did 
not want the boy to know that his father drank 
anything. That father was out one afternoon, 
and he kept plying the bottle pretty frequently, 
until by the time he got to his house he was 
feeling more than comfortable. Did you ever 
see a man in that condition ? Did you ever 
see him when he had to put his arms around 
a lamp-post and say: ' Hold on, old fellow'? 
Did you ever see him when his emotions 
toward that lamp-post were too strong for his 
control ? You have heard of the poor fellow 
who felt that way toward a lamp-post, and 
how a man went up to him and asked him if he 
were sick. ' Sick? sick ? do you suppose I am 
doing this for fun?' Not much fun in that, 
but there is shame and degradation. 

" Well, the old farmer wanted to get into the 
house without his boy seeing him. So he got 
out of his wagon and walked through the snow 
around the back way. But his boy was 
watching for him, and it did not take the boy 
long to ' catch on ' to the fact that that zigzag 
path went clear around the house. So the boy 
said to himself : ' I'll just go around after him.' 
The mother missed the boy, and looking 
through the front window she saw him, and 
opening the front door she asked him what he 
was doing. ' I am only walking in father's 
track,' was the boy's reply. The full force of 



176 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

what the boy said came upon the father, and 
he vowed, ' From this time on I'll make 
straight tracks.' Every boy loves father and 
is following his example. Put on the Blue 
Ribbon, and when the right time comes, your 
boy will be on the right side of this temperance 
question. I have another incident : 

" There was a little fellow whose father was 
an inebriate and who did not furnish his family 
with the necessaries of life. The little fellow's 
mother had in take in washing to keep the 
family together. She thought: 'What is 
going to become of my boy? Must he grow 
up without an education ? ' So she saw the 
superintendent of the schools and she asked 
him : * Would you let my boy go to school in 
the afternoons? Then he could carry water 
and help me in the forenoons.' The super- 
intendent agreed to this. So the mother had 
to patch her boy's jacket and trousers. His 
shoes were not made for him either, but he 
got fixed up and started for school one after- 
noon. When he came along the way the boys 
were all gathered together. They looked over 
and one of them cried out: ' Hullo, you must 
have dressed in a rag basket ! ' That little 
boy's eyes filled with tears, and he ran home. 
'It aint any use, mother,' he said, 'they all 
know I am a drunkard's boy.' Any habit that 
perpetrates such an outrage as this upon inno- 
cence deserves the condemnation of every 



SOME OF "NED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 177 

patriotic citizen. I am here this afternoon to 
plead for this movement that stands between 
this habit and the child. Fathers, mothers, 
have I not your support ? " 

In one of his speeches Mr. Murphy gives 
an amusing account of the way different na- 
tionalities do their drinking. Mr. Murphy 
says: 

" Do you know that I had an offer in Hart- 
ford to talk in a saloon, an offer from a Ger- 
man? And, by the way, the German is the 
most sensible drinker we know anything about. 
He is a cool, phlegmatic character, is your 
German. He does not say to everybody in 
the room : ' Here, take something with me.' 
No, sir ! He sits down at a table and chats for 
half an hour, and if you look at him you will 
see that his glass is only half empty. But 
now you take the American. The American 
is after results, yes, sir, all the time. The 
German says to the American: ' Why don't 
you drink as I do ? ' And the American re- 
plies : ' Oh, it would take too blamed long to 
get full ! ' Now take the Scotchman. After 
he has had so much he says : ' I'll gang awa' 
hame.' The Englishman after his 'alf and 
'alf declares : ' I'll take no more ; I'll go away 
'ome.' Take the Irishman — my countryman, 
if you please, — he can do a big business on a 
small capital. When he is asked to take some- 
thing he says: 'Well, upon me worrud, if 



178 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

you'll fill 'em up agin, I'll stay wid ye till 
mornin'.' 

" That is the impetuosity of the Irish char- 
acter. That is the reason why the Irishman, of 
all nationalities, should let whisky alone. And 
yet how charming the Irish are, and how we 
enjoy their wit. You have doubtless heard of 
the man who was asked, ' Were you ever in the 
war?' ' Yes, sir.' * Where ? ' 'Where the 
bullets were thickest.' ' And where was that ? ' 
' Under the ammunition wagon.' ' And were 
you at the battle of Bull Run ? ' ' To be sure 
I was, whin death was achin' to shake hands 
wid us.' ' And did you run ? ' ' Av coorse I 
did, and upon me word, those who didn't are 
there yet ! ' But the Irish are more than witty. 

" In 1845 there was a distinguished philan- 
thropist — a great humanitarian who gave the 
pledge to a million and a half of people. He 
went up and down these United States too, 
and what a triumph his progress was ! To- 
night his memory is watered by the bright tears 
of universal affection ! I allude to that prince 
of priests, Father Mathew." 

These extracts and stories have been given, 
as has been said, not in any great hope of de- 
scribing " Ned " Murphy to those who have 
never heard him, but rather in the hope of re- 
calling him to those who have heard him, of 
allowing them to renew the pleasure of rem- 
iniscence. And yet one who has never even 



SOME OF "ATED" MURPHY'S SPEECHES. 179 

heard of Murphy, and whose first introduction 
to him is through the pages of this little book, 
cannot but be impressed by his spirit of in- 
formality, of geniality, of optimism. As far as 
this result has been reached, the object aimed 
at has been at least partially accomplished. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR, WILLIAM 
J. MURPHY. 

Few men are as fortunate in their sons as 
Francis Murphy. It is always a great pleasure 
to a father when his sons take up his own pro- 
fession or business,- and follow the family tradi- 
tions. If that father has made an unusual suc- 
cess the pleasure of such a choice by his sons 
is greatly increased, especially if they show the 
same talent or genius for the father's work 
which has given him his own success. This is 
true if a father has founded some great busi- 
ness. To feel that the business will be con- 
tinued along the lines on which he originated 
and developed it, although he is no longer 
present to see and direct it, is a source of 
intense satisfaction as the time draws nigh 
when old age forbids him longer to carry its 
burdens. If, on the other hand, that father 
has achieved an exceptional career in profes- 
sional life as a. lawyer, doctor, or clergyman, 
the satisfaction is perhaps even greater when 
he finds that his son has inherited his peculiar 
talents, and will win new laurels in the same 

180 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 181 

field when he shall have passed away. But 
both these illustrations must fall short of the 
reality in the case of a man like Francis 
Murphy, whose career has not been simply one 
to bring fame or money to himself, but has been 
a career of beneficence in inaugurating a great 
philanthropic movement. As Francis Murphy 
realizes with the approaching years that his 
own strength must in time succumb to the 
inevitable fate of all, and looks back on the his- 
tory of the Blue Ribbon movement and upon 
the millions who through it joined the Gospel 
Temperance army, the natural regret at the 
thought that for him participation in that 
movement is increasingly a matter of uncer- 
tainty finds great compensation in another 
thought, that he leaves behind him two sons to 
carry on the great movement to new triumphs. 
This other son is William J. Murphy, the 
eldest of the family, next to whom comes "Ned." 
If his name is not so generally known to the 
country at large as his father's or "Ned's," this 
is due in no small measure to the fact that his 
efforts have been chiefly confined to a section 
of the Middle Western States. Perhaps it is 
merely the result of circumstances, and perhaps 
it is largely owing to the fact that he married 
and settled down young, and has a family of 
three growing boys to rear and educate, that 
he has not followed the temperance career of 
platform-speaking over so wide a territory as 



i32 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

have the two others. But while his career 
has been more circumscribed, it does not 
follow that it has been the less useful. It 
has been largely a career supplementary to 
that of his father, devoted to building up 
and conserving the movement in regions where 
his father had inaugurated it, and in those 
regions the debt which many communities 
owe to the efficiency and faithfulness of 
William J. Murphy, cannot be accurately 
compared with the more pioneer work of his 
father and brother. 

As has been said, William J. Murphy is the 
eldest son of Francis Murphy. His birthplace 
was New York City, and his present age (in the 
summer of 1894) is thirty-eight. Some of 
the incidents of his earlier life have already 
been related in telling the story of his brother. 
The same shadow of the father's intemper- 
ance and the mother's sad death rested alike 
on both boys, and by the same unfortunate 
circumstances both were turned adrift as mere 
boys to make a way for themselves. All 
through their youth William and "Ned" were 
thrown frequently together. They were com- 
panions in the government granite yards, they 
alike found their large earnings too much of a 
temptation, and they were together rescued 
through the interposition of their father and 
united to him at Freeport, 111. William re- 
ceived quite an education, as has been told, 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 183 

which was completed at the Pennsylvania Mili- 
tary Academy, at Chester. There he studied 
law, and there he married and made a tem- 
porary home. Like "Ned" the idea of be- 
coming a temperance advocate, or of identifying 
himself with the Blue Ribbon movement, was 
the farthest possible from his thoughts. He 
does not seem to have pursued the practice of 
law very long, for quite soon after his marriage 
he removed from Chester to Philadelphia, 
where he engaged in the publishing business. 
From Philadelphia he not long after made a 
second removal to Baltimore, but continued in 
the same business. Then his health suffered 
serious impairment through overwork, and a 
stroke of facial paralysis gave him warning that 
he must engage in some less exacting pursuit. 
On recovering from the paralytic shock he 
joined his father in Pittsburg, and here begins 
the story of his active connection with the Blue 
Ribbon movement. 

At this time Francis Murphy's campaigns 
were being prosecuted in Pennsylvania and 
Ohio, and he took his son William with him as 
his private secretary. William's duties at this 
time consisted exclusively in attending to the 
numerous details of the meetings, and of reliev- 
ing his father of a large correspondence that 
was so voluminous as to be very burdensome. 
Later on he gave the same assistance to his 
brother "Ned," when the latter's services were 



1 84 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

in general demand in different parts of the 
country. But "Ned " being through overwork 
obliged to take a vacation from the platform, 
William returned to his father and became 
again his private secretary and man of business. 

It seems never to have occurred to William 
Murphy up to this time that he had inherited 
the family gift of temperance oratory. The 
fact that he has become a temperance orator 
is due, as in the case of "Ned," to the course 
pursued by his father. "It was," as William 
Murphy says in telling the story, "a good deal 
like teaching a dog to swim by flinging him into 
the water — for that dog has to swim or drown." 

It came about in this way : Francis Murphy 
had opened a campaign in Aurora, Ind., when 
he was called away to Cincinnati. But he 
did not return in time for the meeting which 
had been announced for that evening. Mean- 
while the large hall was filled with a waiting 
audience. It was eight o'clock, it was after 
eight o'clock, and still there was no Francis 
Murphy. Something had to be done, and 
that, too, quickly. "I actually lacked the 
courage," said William Murphy, "to face that 
audience, disappoint and dismiss them. I had 
not the slightest idea that I possessed the 
ability to talk to them, but I stepped out upon 
the platform, since there was no way out of it, 
to say something, I did not know what. My 
knees knocked together, my hands shook so 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 185 

that I could hardly grip the little desk where 
stood the water pitcher, and everything grew 
dim and swam before me. By and by, I have 
no idea how, I found myself actually talking. 
My voice sounded strange and queer to my- 
self, but I gathered courage from the fact that 
I was talking at all, and I went on. At last I 
brought my address to a close, I have no idea 
how, and many came forward to grasp my 
hand heartily and congratulate me on my suc- 
cess. Then followed a really astonishing 
number of signers to the pledge. The meet- 
ings continued for ten days under my auspices^ 
and Aurora was deeply stirred by them, 3500 
persons signing the pledge. Soon after, as a 
result of the interest awakened by the meet- 
ings, over 500 members were added to the local 
churches. It was in this way that I discov- 
ered that I had a call to the temperance plat- 
form. It was solely my father's doings. Had 
he not thrown me on my own resources, had 
he not forced me to face the dilemma his 
absence created, I should probably never have 
made a temperance address to this day." 

Naturally the success which had attended 
William Murphy's efforts in Aurora made a 
reputation for him in that part of the country, 
and requests for his services began to be 
numerous and pressing. At Lawrenceburg, 
Ind., he held a ten days' temperance revival 
which resulted in 2500 signing the pledge and 



1 86 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

in over 300 additions to the membership of 
the churches. At Harrison a series of meet- 
ings conducted by him were attended by 
people of that entire vicinity. The number 
of pledge signers was 1800. At Brookville 
there were 1500 signers; at Decatur, 1200 sign- 
ers in four nights ; at Bloomington, 2000 signers 
in seven nights. All Southern Indiana was 
stirred by the gospel temperance movement. 

A typical example of the intensity of feeling 
aroused is the campaign at Spencer, which was 
continued for ten days. Spencer's population 
at the time was about 3000. But there were, 
including the accessions from the surrounding 
country, over 2000 signers there. All the 
business houses in the place, including the 
saloons, were for a time closed, so as to permit 
everybody to attend the meetings. 

This campaign was conducted by William 
Murphy in entire independence of his father. 
Francis Murphy having launched his son upon 
the work, and having proved that he had the 
gift of effective temperance advocacy, felt 
relieved of all further responsibility for his 
son's success, and therefore wisely left him to 
himself. This was eight years ago, and Wil- 
liam Murphy has been continuously engaged 
in the Blue Ribbon work ever since. His 
campaigns have been chiefly in Indiana, but 
he has also labored in Ohio and Illinois and 
occasionally in other States. 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 187 

Central and Northern Indiana perhaps bear 
the most conspicuous testimony to what the 
Blue Ribbon movement can accomplish under 
the direction of William Murphy. In Laporte 
he had 2500 pledge signers; in South Bend, 
3000; in Alexandria, 3 500; in Red Key, 1200; 
in Dunkirk, 1500; in Greenfield, 3200 ; and 
like numbers in Portland, Muncie, Albany, and 
other places in the "Gas Belt." It is esti- 
mated that in Indiana, as a result of William 
Murphy's work, there have been added more 
than 150,000 signers to the Blue Ribbon 
pledge. His work in Kentucky, West Vir- 
ginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois has been 
equally successful. 

Osgood, Ind., may be cited as a signal in- 
stance of the reform of an entire community 
through the instrumentality of temperance 
meetings such as those conducted by William 
J. Murphy. The result of the Osgood cam- 
paign is still spoken of in that community as 
little short of a miracle. At the close of the 
series of meetings there, instead of twenty kegs 
of beer being landed on the railroad station 
platform as the usual allowance for the day's 
consumption for the town, but one keg was 
left on the platform, and nobody appeared to 
claim that and take it away ! 

Rising Sun, on the Ohio River, is another 
notable instance of the possibilities of thor- 
ough going temperance reform work. The 



1 88 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

population of Rising Sun is only about 2000, 
but after William Murphy's meetings had 
closed, the total of pledge signers amounted to 
700. People flocked into the meetings from 
all the country around, many crossing from 
the Kentucky side of the river. All the busi- 
ness men of the little city except two — these 
two being engaged in the manufacture of 
liquor — held a meeting in the principal dry 
goods store in the place, that of a Mr. Clarke, 
and marched in a body to the Methodist church 
where Mr. Murphy was delivering an address, 
and there unanimously signed the pledge and 
put on the Blue Ribbon. That was two years 
ago, and up to the summer of 1894 there had 
not been a single arrest for drunkenness in 
Rising Sun. 

Another remarkable case is that of Evans- 
ville, Ind., where the Murphy brothers, William 
and "Ned," conducted a ten days' Blue Ribbon 
campaign, its fruit being a total of 12,000 
signers. After it was over and the brothers 
had left Evansville, William Murphy was 
called back to continue the work for a year. 
Before the Murphy movement was inaugurated 
Evansville had 304 saloons. At the expiration 
of a year this number had been reduced to 204, 
the lack of patronage having closed at least 
100 saloons. There was also, as a result of 
the movement, for the first time in the his- 
tory of Evansville, a sufficiently strong public 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. i»9 

sentiment to compel the enforcement of the 
temperance laws on the statute books, those 
closing the saloons on Sunday and at eleven 
o'clock at night. The 12,000 signers obtained 
as the first fruit of the original movement were 
increased during the year of William Murphy's 
continuous work, making a total of 22,000. 

Quite recently William Murphy has given 
no small share of his time to what may be 
called parochial work in Indianapolis, where 
he makes his home. That is, he has done 
the same sort of work for the temperance cause 
which a resident clergyman, as compared with 
an evangelist, does in the upbuilding of the 
church of which he is pastor. He has also 
done the work of a temperance city missionary, 
and one suburb of Indianapolis, named Haugh- 
ville, so turbulent as to be notorious, has been 
through his influence converted into a region 
of peace and quietness. 

Perhaps the city of Indianapolis is as good an 
example as any that can be cited of the most 
effective way of conserving the influence of a 
Blue Ribbon campaign. By thoroughness of 
organization and earnestness of purpose the 
friends of the Murphys have perpetuated the 
good which was accomplished six years before, 
and to-day present as solid a front to the drink 
habit as was presented when the excitement 
was at its height. 

The Murphy campaign in Indianapolis was 



190 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

inaugurated in December, 1888. It was note- 
worthy for the fact that both Francis Murphy 
and his two sons, "Ned" and William, were 
active in its promotion. Francis Murphy 
opened the campaign and summoned his sons to 
his aid. The movement was a broad one and 
reached all classes in the community, but espe- 
cially the workingmen. For them seats were 
reserved in front near the platform in Tom- 
linson Hall, and these were completely filled 
almost nightly. The arrival of "Ned" Murphy 
was the signal for a great increase in enthu- 
siasm. The excitement was of the typical 
Murphy order and is given a graphic newspaper 
description in the Indianapolis Sentinel, which 
says: 

"The momentous question of the day is: 
'Have you seen Edward Murphy?' the inter- 
rogatory, 'Have you seen Francis Murphy?' 
having passed into innocuous desuetude, as 
almost everyone of consequence has heard the 
father, but only 3500, the number in Tomlin- 
son Hall last night, have heard the son. Father 
and son make a rare pair, and some of their 
remarks are much wittier than those one hears 
at a minstrel show. Last night they united 
their strength, and the audience not only be- 
came deeply interested and showed themselves 
much entertained, but they grew highly enthu- 
siastic and were decidedly demonstrative about 
it. The way they sang was inspiring, but the 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 19 1 

way they came up to sign the pledge was crush- 
ing, and was calculated to pen the reporter up 
in one corner, making it next to impossible for 
him to get out. No attempt was made to 
obtain the list of those signing the pledge, be- 
cause it was out of the question to keep track 
of them. They signed all over the front half 
of the lower hall, the rear half of the galleries 
being unaccommodated with workers or cards. 
Consequently the people in those regions of 
the hall escaped. It is estimated that some- 
where between 500 and 1000 pledges were 
signed. That is as near as anybody can get to 
it. It is suggested that some of the supernu- 
merary workers and ministers erect a pledge 
stand in the corridor and catch the gallery as 
it comes down." 

Allowing for newspaper exaggeration this is 
exactly the sort of temperance excitement to 
which many people object on the ground that 
it must be ephemeral. And yet the character 
of the addresses made, although off-hand in 
style, certainly contained a great deal of solid 
meat, being the kind of talk whose senti- 
ments one could take away and think over at 
home. 

It is interesting to see what sort of a temper- 
ance talker "Ned" Murphy was at this time, 
after his years of experience in England, but 
comparatively early in his work in this coun- 
try. Here is an extract from one of "Ned" 



*9 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Murphy's speeches at the beginning of the 
Indianapolis campaign : 

"It is the same with this reform against the 
horrors of drink as with all the great reforms 
that have moved humanity. Its leaders have 
been laughed at, its proposals called impossi- 
ble, its results doubted without reason and even 
suspected. But I declare to you from this plat- 
form to-night that I see a terrible disease in 
drink, and that I offer not merely the best, but 
the only, remedy that can be found, namely, 
total abstinence in the individual. They 
doubt temperance. Yes, and they should in 
consistency doubt Christianity itself, for I hold 
that temperance is a logical result of the 
teachings of Christianity, and must be attained 
through Christianity if attained at all. The 
trouble with you Christians is that you are too 
much like the father, of whom his little son 
said to a stranger, accosting him with : 'Is your 
father a Christian, my son?' 'A what?' 'A 
Christian.' "Why, yes, sir, he is, but he aint 
working at it much now.' You Christians, like 
that boy's father, are afraid to pitch into the 
missionary side of the temperance question, 
and leave the result with God ; that is the 
difficulty. Your strength, if you ever had 
any, has disappeared through your lack of 
steady faith and persistent enthusiasm." 

Very soon after "Ned's" arrival William 
was added, to make a third Murphy advo- 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 193 

cate. Francis Murphy thus introduced him: 
"I don't think I told you how many chil- 
dren I had. So it will be no doubt a surprise 
to you, as it is a great pleasure to me, to 
introduce to you my son, William Murphy." 

The Indianapolis Journal thus describes 
him: "This Mr. Murphy, who is a thought- 
ful-looking man, considerably resembling his 
father, with iron gray hair nearly white in 
front, came forward to receive the shouts of 
welcome which seemed to be the portion of all 
Murphys in Indianapolis. 'While laboring 
with my brother in La Porte,' he said, 'where 
over half the population signed the pledge, I 
read with intense interest of the progress of 
the work in this beautiful capital of Indiana. 
I believe with all my heart, as I stand before 
this great audience to-night, that the walls of 
iniquity in this city are destined to fall never 
again to be raised !' After relating various 
experiences in the Blue Ribbon movement 
briefly, but with great effect, Mr. Murphy con- 
tinued: 'I see that the time is rapidly coming 
when the churches of Indianapolis will unite 
on this temperance question and, shoulder to 
shoulder, arm to arm, by the power of God, 
press on to certain victory, and then this city 
will see one of the grandest revivals of religion 
it has ever known in its history ! ' ' 

In this last prediction William Murphy 
struck the keynote of his own temperance doc- 



194 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

trine. A large part of his power comes from 
the intensity of his faith in Christianity as the 
one sole dependence for permanence in tem- 
perance reform. Wherever he has worked in 
temperance platform advocacy proper, as well 
as in temperance reform advocacy, he has car- 
ried into that work unswerving loyalty to the 
cause of religion, thus trusting to the former to 
strengthen and make permanent the latter. 

To return to the Indianapolis campaign. 
The Indianapolis Journal says of the closing 
Sunday, referring to the afternoon meeting for 
men only: "Over 2000 gathered at the meet- 
ing for men addressed by the Murphys in 
Tomlinson Hall. It was one of the most 
interesting audiences that had ever been seen 
in that great room, and its size was very 
largely the result of the efforts of the revival 
committee among the workingmen of the city. 
They were representative Americans ; as 
bright, well-dressed, sturdy, and intelligent a 
body of men as one could see anywhere. 
They were evidently drawn there by a genu- 
inely intense interest in the work. The 
instant Francis Murphy appeared on the plat- 
form he was received with a tremendous out- 
burst of applause : the men rose to their feet 
in hundreds and cheered, and stamped, and 
whistled as if they never intended to stop." 

The conclusion of the final meeting of the 
campaign on the evening of that same Sunday 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 1 95 

is thus described: "At the close of Mr. Mur- 
phy's address several hundred people came 
forward to sign the pledge, bringing the grand 
total of those who have signed during the 
campaign up to perhaps 7000. Every new 
victory in this movement, generalled by 
Francis Murphy and his brilliant sons, was the 
result of breaking entirely new soil. The 
work here in Indianapolis has been a peculiar 
one in very many respects. Its blending of 
religion and resolution, of faith and right, of 
the principles of Christianity and the higher 
ethics of humanity, have united to form an 
interesting example, a curious study and a 
noble effort, in the problem of educating the 
masses to a loftier ideal of life and of raising 
them to a higher plane of living." 

This was the verdict of an Indianapolis 
newspaper on what the Murphy movement 
had been in that city, rendered in the flush of 
enthusiasm before the excitement aroused had 
had opportunity to die out. What is the ver- 
dict to-day when that excitement has had six 
years in which to die out? The answer to 
this question is to be found in the existence 
of a Francis Murphy Gospel Temperance 
League. It consists of a central league, with 
nine subordinate branches scattered through 
the city, having a membership of over 2500, 
and forming aggressive centers of gospel tem- 
perance influence reaching all sections of the 



196 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

city. The editor of one of the most influential 
papers in Indianapolis, Mr. Morris Ross of the 
Indianapolis News, writes under date of May, 
1894: "I do not know whether Indianapolis is 
remarkable or not in regard to the permanency 
of the Murphy movement. But certainly 
the Murphys planted deeply. The seed fell 
into good ground. It has yielded continually, 
and the result goes on growing year after year." 

Mr. Ross adds this interesting personal 
tribute to Francis Murphy: "It is not so 
much what Father Francis says as the love 
that is back of it. You may remember the 
anecdote of some reformed man who was testi- 
fying that his reformation and salvation had 
been due to Lord Shaftesbury. When asked 
what Lord Shaftesbury had done for him the 
man said that his lordship had not done any- 
thing or said anything, except that when he 
had resolved to try again at one of the meet- 
ings, and had given in his name, Lord Shaftes- 
bury put his arm around him and said, 'We'll 
make a man of you yet, Jack.' It was the 
heart that did it. So with Francis Murphy." 

Another Indianapolis gentleman, Mr. Charles 
E. Reynolds, a well-known broker, in writing 
of the Murphy leagues in that city, says : "It is 
not the constitution or rules of the order that 
has made the great success of the work here, 
so much as the patience, charity, wisdom (from 
above), meekness, long suffering, in short, the 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 197 

spirit of Jesus Christ, which have characterized 
it throughout, and have been the sole reliance 
for keeping it up. There are now working suc- 
cessfully here the following organizations: 
Haughville, West Indianapolis, Mount Jackson, 
Seventh Street, Ninth, Alvord Street, Bright- 
wood, North Indianapolis, Oak Hill, and the 
great central league, the mother of them all, 
a blessing to hundreds and thousands of our 
people. Surely Francis Murphy has done a 
great work in this city." 

The organization of this league is interesting. 
Its preamble is as follows: 

"God, in his infinite wisdom, has system- 
atized all action of the inanimate, showing 
thereby that two or more objects cannot con- 
tinually harmonize or agree without definite 
law or arrangement. Therefore, we, his high- 
est earthly order of animate creatures, have, 
for our general government and individual and 
mutual good, established the following rules, 
embodied in a Constitution, Rules of Order, 
and Code of Discipline, setting forth as the 
fundamental principle upon which our move- 
ment rests, these declarations: 

"First, That the teaching of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, in its fullness, is paramount to all 
policy, political or otherwise. 

"Second, That, while penalty must follow 
transgression, moral influence is the true Chris- 
tian method of all reformations. 



198 THE BLUE RIB BOM. 

"Third, That in the exercise of faith and in 
the practice of the divine Gospel, it should be 
remembered that total abstinence from all 
intoxicants is a complete safeguard. 

"Fourth, That the greatest charity is not 
almsgiving, but to raise the fallen, and follow- 
ing this line we urge the co-operation of all, 
regardless of race or creed." 

The general purpose of the league was thus 
fully outlined. Its name is "The Francis Mur- 
phy Gospel Temperance League of Indiana." 
The objects of the league, as stated in its con- 
stitution, are "to induce men to abandon the 
use of intoxicating liquors and seek reforma- 
tion through Jesus Christ ; also to watch over 
and strengthen its membership by mutual 
prayers, sympathy, and kind offices." The 
constitution also forbids all sectarian or politi- 
cal addresses or discussions at any of the meet- 
ings. Its distinctively religious character is 
made prominent in the exercises for opening 
and closing the meetings, which include the 
reading of a passage from the Bible, the sing- 
ing of a hymn, and a prayer for the opening 
and a prayer as the conclusion of the meeting. 
Of course the motto of the league is the famous 
motto of the Blue Ribbon pledge: "With 
malice toward none ; with charity for all." 
Equally of course, its badge is the Blue Rib- 
bon worn in the buttonhole. All persons are 
eligible for membership who have signed or 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 199 

will sign the Murphy pledge, and who will wear 
the Murphy Blue Ribbon. 
The Murphy pledge reads: 

" With Malice toward None, with Charity 
for All" I, the Undersigned, do Pledge my 
Word and Honor, God helping me, to Abstain 
from all Intoxicating Liquors as a Beverage, 
and that I will, by all Honorable Means, en- 
courage others to Abstain." 

There are two classes of members, the active 
class who pay dues and who have the right to 
hold office and to vote; and the passive class, 
those who do not pay dues but who enjoy all 
the benefits and privileges of the league except 
holding office and voting. 

The final court of discipline in the league is 
an Appellate High Council whose general pur- 
pose and prerogative are advisory, but whose 
especial function is that of hearing and deter- 
mining appeals. The membership of the 
Appellate High Council "shall consist," says 
the constitution, "first, of Francis Murphy, the 
founder of the league, and his two sons, Wil- 
liam and Edward, and then of the acting and 
all past presidents of the league." The ordi- 
nary body to pass upon matters of discipline 
consists of the nine elected officers, the presi- 
dent, vice presidents, treasurer, etc., which is 
called a League Council, and which in addition 
to matters of discipline has for determination 



200 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the charge of all matters bearing on the pros- 
perity and best interests of the league. 

In practical working the league is divided up 
into bands of ten, and each band of ten has its 
captain, whose duty it is to keep a register of 
the residences of the members of his band, and 
to visit them in case they fail to be present at 
any meetings. The offenses for which a mem- 
ber of the league may incur discipline are 
these : 

i. Simple violation of the Pledge. 

2. Flagrant violation of the Pledge. 

3. Conduct prejudicial to good order and the good of 
the order. 

4. Conduct unbecoming a gentleman or lady in rela- 
tion to the league. 

5. Disobedience of rules and lawful orders. 

The punishments for offenses against the 
league include private reprimands by the cap- 
tain, degradation from office, suspension from 
membership for a stated time, a public apology, 
and a public reprimand by the presiding officer. 
Care is taken to prevent any misuse of official 
authority. The constitution provides for the 
presentation before the league of all accusa- 
tions, which have to be duly preferred in the 
form of charges and specifications, and passed 
upon by a two-thirds vote at a business session 
of the league, before the accused member is 
legally summoned before the Council of 
Administration. Then, when the Council of 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 201 

Administration shall have reached a finding and 
sentence, these cannot go into effect until they 
have been approved by a two-thirds vote of the 
active members of the league. Even then the 
accused member has still another right of 
appeal to the Appellate High Council com- 
posed, as it will be remembered, of Mr. Murphy 
and his sons and of the president and the 
past presidents of the league. It is interesting 
to note in this connection, that this Appellate 
High Council includes certain advisory mem- 
bers, who have not the power of voting, but 
whose counsel at times must prove very valua- 
ble. "Any noted friend of the Blue Ribbon 
movement," says the constitution, is eligible to 
election (an unanimous vote is required) as an 
honorary life member of the Appellate High 
Council. The list of these honorary life mem- 
bers includes the Rt. Rev. August Bessonies, 
V. G., and Bishop David B. Knickerbocker, 
D. D. This union of two prominent ecclesi- 
astics in a Murphy organization is typical of 
the character of the movement everywhere in 
uniting all faiths and all creeds. 

This elaborate machinery to conserve and 
perpetuate the results of the Murphy move- 
ment in Indianapolis and in Indiana may seem 
something of an innovation to those who have 
studied the movement in the East, especially 
as it has been developed under the auspices 
of "Ned" Murphy. The charm of the "Ned" 



202 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Murphy movement to many has been the con- 
spicuous absence of all machinery, its spon- 
taniety — in short, the fact that "it goes of 
itself." But the conditions are very different 
when the problem is no longer that of arous- 
ing the masses, but rather that of maintaining 
the interest of the masses when the original 
enthusiasm has died away, when some new 
object of interest has arisen to take the place of 
the old. Indeed, many critics of the Murphy 
movement make exactly this complaint, that 
it simply stirs people up for a while and then 
leaves them to the temptations of former 
habits and of the world, to struggle along as 
best they can without outside aid. It is true 
that there are always the churches, and that 
the Murphy movement, being essentially reli- 
gious, awakens the churches to a sense of their 
duty, and thus does provide the most effective 
of all organizations for confirmation in habits 
of good morals. But church life is multi- 
farious, and church interests are diverse. Thus, 
fallible human nature being what it is, it 
comes about that with the active stimulus of 
the Murphy pressure removed, many, who 
might be kept in the straight path, are allowed 
to drift back into their old ways. 

It is not intended here to enter any defense 
of the Murphy League-in Indianapolis, nor to 
eulogize it. Its effective work for temperance 
speaks for itself. But it is desired to call the 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 203 

attention of all workers for temperance reform 
to the necessity of organization as an absolute 
essential to the best possible results. Here 
in Indianapolis, six years after the first visit of 
the Murphys, we have an aggressive temper- 
ance league, dominated by the distinguishing 
principles of the Murphy movement, and carry- 
ing on those principles to constantly increas- 
ing triumphs. This simple fact is eloquent of 
what it is possible to accomplish in any city or 
vicinity where Mr. Murphy, or either of his 
sons, holds a campaign. 

The Indianapolis league is interesting from 
another point of view. It embodies in a man- 
ner peculiar to itself the practical Murphy 
principle of keeping constant watch over those 
who have signed the pledge and committed 
themselves to resolutions of reform. By divid- 
ing the membership up into bands of ten, and 
placing over each band a captain whose duty it 
is to see that the members are true to them- 
selves and their pledge, there is offered a solu- 
tion of the difficulty of locating the responsi- 
bility for the lapse of each individual. This is 
a critical point where much successful temper- 
ance agitation fails. It leaves the individual 
too unrestrained by the guiding and encourag- 
ing help of others. While in the final conflict 
every man must be his own captain, and the 
individual must rule himself or succumb, yet 
the kindly word and the Christian admonition 



204 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

may do much, if given at the right moment, to 
foster that spirit of sturdy self-reliance which 
is the condition of self-victory. It is just here 
that the plan of the Murphy Gospel League is 
most helpful, and offers the most fruitful sug- 
gestion for others. 

It may seem possible that we have wandered 
quite a distance from William J. Murphy and 
his Avork. But this is not the case. Not a 
little of Mr. Murphy's best work has been done 
through the League which we have been 
describing, and of whose Appellate High 
Council he is the second member. The fact 
that he has chosen Indianapolis for his home, 
and that the campaigns in which he has engaged 
have been for the most part within easy 
reach of that city, has enabled him to identify 
himself with the work of the league, to assume 
a responsibility for it. His increasingly large 
circle of personal friends in that city gives 
him a peculiar advantage for what has been 
already called parochial temperance work. He 
is identified with that city and with its inter- 
ests, and through his family with its social life. 

The work of Mr. William J. Murphy in his 
home city, during the intervals of his active 
campaigns elswhere, naturally suggests the 
advantage to the cause of temperance re- 
form in any place to have within its borders a 
resident temperance advocate. As temperance 
comes to be more and more recognized as a 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 205 

permanently distinctive feature of church work, 
it is not at all improbable that the services of a 
resident temperance evangelist will be increas- 
ingly in demand by single large churches, or by 
groups of churches. Specialism is the order of 
the day in church work as in everything else. 
The "institutional" church, of which so much 
is said nowadays, is simply a development in 
the direction of specialism. Such a church, 
with its numerous departments of charitable 
work, each manned by a corps of trained 
workers, requires a specialist for the head of 
each department, and makes of the pastor an 
executive officer — a typically modern type of 
minister as compared with the traditional type, 
that of a minister whose principal duty it was 
to preach, pray, and make pastoral calls. Into 
this scheme of the institutional church the idea 
of a permanent temperance advocate, employed 
by the church or a group of churches as the 
executive head of church temperance work, fits 
easily and naturally. There is nothing more 
extraordinary about it than there is about the 
office of deaconess, now a common adjunct of 
church work in large cities. It certainly re- 
quires as great special talent and as constant 
personal supervision to direct rightly the tem- 
perance work which a church ought to do, as 
to direct rightly a charitable work among the 
tenements and down in the slums, or to supply 
good nursing and to teach its principles, or to 



206 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

instruct in the art of scientific cookery, or to 
cultivate aesthetic tastes and a sound political 
economy. Yet each and all of this somewhat 
miscellaneous assortment of orifices have come 
to be features of the institutional church. That 
a place will also be found in this church for a 
distinctive temperance work, conducted on 
scientific principles derived from the experience 
of those who have had the widest opportunities 
to learn effective methods, is a prediction one 
can make with a great degree of certainty. 
Indeed the more one studies these social prob- 
lems the more complete is the conviction that 
this question of the drink problem is at the 
bottom of them all. The institutional church 
must therefore take up the drink question if it 
is to make genuine progress toward the solu- 
tion of social problems. It will then be that 
the career of such a man as William J. Murphy 
will prove most valuable as an example and 
model. 

A closing word as to Mr. Murphy as he is to- 
day at thirty-eight. His young face is set off 
by an abundance of almost bushy hair which 
has turned prematurely white. His expression 
is attractive, betokening, as one first looks at 
him, sincere and deep sympathy with his fellow- 
men. As a public speaker he has the great 
advantage of a deep, rich voice, to which, when 
an address touches upon what is moving or 
pathetic, the audience proves so quickly respon- 



THE THIRD BLUE RIBBON ORATOR. 207 

sive. His anecdotes and illustrations are prin- 
cipally drawn from real life, from his own obser- 
vation and experience. Like his father and 
brother he depends largely for strength of argu- 
ment on the universal love for the home, and 
his appeals to fathers, sons, and husbands 
never fail to touch the common chord of our 
common humanity. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE BLUE RIBBON MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND. 

A GREAT deal has already been said about 
the Blue Ribbon which has become the symbol 
of gospel temperance on two continents, but 
nothing has been said of its origin. Like many 
another happy thought its adoption as the 
symbol of the Murphy movement was an inspi- 
ration. It is the ideas which come of them- 
selves which oftenest accomplish the most in 
the world, not the ideas which have been 
worked out by dint of long labor. 

The formal choice of the Blue Ribbon was 
made by Mr. Murphy in Pittsburg, in the 
month of February, 1877. About that time 
there had grown up a habit of wearing ribbons 
as badges, and the use of the red ribbons as an 
emblem of temperance work was then quite 
extensive. Naturally enough Mr. Murphy 
wished to distinguish his own movement from 
others because of the peculiar qualities of 
charity and hopefulness which characterized it. 
"At this time," says Francis Murphy, "I was 
holding a series of meetings in Pittsburg, and 
the movement had received a wonderful stimu- 
208 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 209 

lus. Men went out from the Pittsburg meet- 
ings, I may say simultaneously, to start 
branches in a great number of cities of this 
country and of Canada. The movement itself 
went by the name of 'The Murphy Movement.' 
Flattering as this was in a way, it was not in 
accord with my taste, and so I hit upon the 
Blue Ribbon as its emblem, and thus it became 
known as 'The Blue Ribbon Movement.' ' 

Mr. Murphy has found a Scripture precedent 
for the rechristened movement. Numbers xv. 
37-395 reads: "And the Lord spake unto 
Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of 
Israel, and bid them that they make them 
fringes in the borders of their garments through- 
out their generations, and that they put upon 
the borders a ribbon of blue: and it shall be 
unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon 
it, and remember all the commandments of the 
Lord, and do them." A better warrant or 
precedent than this for the choice of the Blue 
Ribbon as the symbol of gospel temperance 
reform it would be hard to find. 

Having thus told the story of the origin of 
the Blue Ribbon seventeen years ago, and hav- 
ing related some of the details of what it has 
accomplished in this country for the promo- 
tion of temperance, we will next turn our 
attention to what has been achieved in its 
name on the other side of the Atlantic. 

In the World's Temperance Congress held 



210 THE BLUE RIB BOM. 

at Chicago in June, 1893, some remarkable 
testimony was given on this point in a paper 
prepared by John T. Rae, assistant secretary 
of the National Temperance League of Great 
Britain, and honorary secretary of Hoxton 
Hall, London. In this paper Mr. Rae says: 
"The temperance cause of Great Britain has 
been characterized during its progress by the 
periodical recurrence of special phases of 
exceptional effort. At intervals of about ten 
years since Father Mathews' crusade in 1838, 
epochs have been marked by the commence- 
ment of the Band of Hope Movement, John B. 
Gough's great mission in 1858, the introduc- 
tion of the Good Templar Order, and, in 1878, 
by the formation of the Blue Ribbon Army. 

"The sudden and deeply lamented death 
William Isaac Palmer, J. P., of Reading, has 
removed one of the most earnest and practical 
men associated with the temperance reforma- 
tion. It is to his generosity that temperance 
workers throughout Great Britain owe the 
distinct advance in public sentiment in favor 
of total abstinence which has been attained 
through the Blue Ribbon Gospel Temperance 
Movement, for it was he who enabled William 
Noble, who acquired considerable popularity 
by his recital of John B. Gough's orations, to 
visit the United States in 1877. 

"The Murphy movement in America, with 
its Blue Ribbon badge, and the methods and 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 21 1 

programme of meetings adopted at Jerry 
McAuley's mission in New York, impressed 
William Noble with their adaptability for the 
needs of London. After consultation with 
Mr. Palmer upon returning from America, the 
new movement was publicly started in the 
National Standard Theater, at Shoreditch, on 
February 10, 1878. Its real inauguration took 
place about one o'clock one morning, at Hill- 
side, Reading, when William Palmer said : 
'There's something in it! go ahead!' That 
faith the president ever held during the fifteen 
years he so consistently supported the mission. 
"The meetings commenced in the Standard 
Theater were continued in Hoxton Hall, a 
low music hall which had lost its license 
through misconduct. Here twenty-five meet- 
ings weekly have been held until this time, 
and from here the Messrs. Murphy, father and 
son, Francis and Thomas Edward, and R. T. 
Booth, were introduced to the English public, 
and enabled to assist in extending the move- 
ment throughout the United Kingdom. The 
adhesion of such men as Canon Basil Wilber- 
force and the late Charles H. Spurgeon greatly 
advanced the cause at home, while Mr. Noble's 
visit to Africa, and his correspondence with 
the colonies generally, introduced the Blue 
Ribbon to Greater Britain, where the work 
also received considerable impetus from Mr. 
Noble's subsequent visits. In 1882 the mis- 



212 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

sion was organized under the control of a 
representative committee, a monthly paper 
started as its organ, and a special and compre- 
hensive report prepared [this being the time 
of the visit of the two Murphys]. 

"The extent to which the movement had 
spread was revealed more fully than had been 
realized by the returns obtained from the 
towns, villages, and districts where Blue Rib- 
bon missions had been held ; 363 returns 
showed that 700,000 pledges had been taken 
at missions, and reports from visitors indicated 
that as many as 70 per cent, of the recruits 
thus secured were found to be faithful some 
months after they had signed the pledge. 
Many of these are among the most active 
workers of to-day who, having received 
material benefit themselves, have endeavored 
by personal efforts to save others. A pocket 
pledge book, published by the committee and 
issued to the number of 1000, resulted in the 
enrollment in five months of 23,000 pledges. 
A large amount of such voluntary work has 
been an important outcome of the mission ; 
speakers and individual workers in large num- 
bers having strengthened the general temper- 
ance movement. In 1890 events conspired to 
guide the committee to the conclusion that 
the Blue Ribbon mission had become welded 
into national temperance work, and their exist- 
ence as a distinctive committee for its direc- 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 213 

tion and promotion was no longer a necessity. 
The functions which they had endeavored to 
fulfill were therefore relegated to the National 
and other temperance leagues, while Hoxton 
Hall in London has been continued as a local 
mission. The deeper sense of responsibility 
regarding the temperance cause now existing 
among Christian pastors and people has been 
undoubtedly influenced by the Blue Ribbon 
crusade." 

This sober and temperate estimate of what 
the Blue Ribbon movement has accomplished 
for England, well prepares the way for a more 
detailed statement of the Blue Ribbon move- 
ment in Great Britain. 

Francis Murphy thus tells the story of his 
campaign on the other side of the Atlantic : 
'T was moved to take the journey and to 
carry this gospel of temperance across the sea 
by an invitation extended to me from Robert 
Simpson of Glasgow, Scotland. Mr. Simpson 
and I had never met personally, but the story 
of my work on this side of the water had 
reached him over there, and he had written 
to me in regard to it. He was a dry goods 
merchant in Glasgow, a Christian gentleman, 
earnestly interested in every good work. It 
seems that Mr. Simpson first heard of me 
through William Noble of Hoxton Hall, Lon- 
don, a temperance worker who came to this 
country from England in 1877. Mr. Noble was 



214 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a guest at Lancaster, Pa., of Judge Black. He 
had been a dissipated man, and had signed the 
pledge abroad. But while here he re-signed 
the Murphy pledge, donned the Blue Rib- 
bon, and carried the symbol and the prin- 
ciples of the movement back with him to 
London. Through him the Blue Ribbon was 
first introduced into England. Mr. Palmer, a 
wealthy Christian gentleman, a Quaker, bought 
Hoxton Hall and gave it to Mr. Noble for 
the inauguration of Blue Ribbon temperance 
methods in London. 

" With my son, Thomas Edwin Murphy, — 
nearly everyone gets the name Edward, and so 
he has come to call himself — I sailed from New 
York to England the day after President Gar- 
field was shot by Guiteau. Edward was then 
twenty-one years old. I cannot say that I 
enjoyed the voyage, for I was deathly sick from 
the beginning to the end. I recovered myself 
as soon as we reached Queenstown, for there I 
received a message from Mr. Noble, with whom 
I had no acquaintance at the time, saying: 
'Your friends in London are waiting to receive 
you and give you a royal welcome.' I won- 
dered greatly who it was in London who knew 
me. But you may be sure I lost no time in 
going directly to perhaps the metropolis of the 
world, and when I reached there the welcome 
I received was indeed a royal one. The form 
it took was the one so common in England, 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 215 

that of a public breakfast. There were four 
hundred ladies and gentlemen in all who sat 
down at this breakfast. Mr. Palmer presided, 
and the speeches of welcome were hearty, and 
the congratulations upon the work inaugurated 
in America enthusiastic and sincere. You do 
not need to be told that such a hospitable 
reception was exceedingly gratifying to me. 
It at once put me on an excellent footing in 
England, and gave me standing and prestige in 
all temperance circles of Great Britain. 

*T, however, held no series of meetings im- 
mediately, for I was recovering from that sea 
voyage and needed absolute rest to restore me 
to myself. Edward and I remained at that 
time a month in London, and I delivered occa- 
sional addresses in a number of churches — or 
as they are called there, 'chapels,' being the 
houses of worship principally of Dissenters — 
one at Queen's Chapel, another at Aldersgate 
Chapel, one at the Young Men's Christian 
Association Hall, as I now remember it, but I 
did not enter upon any arranged work. 

"From London I went direct to Scotland to 
Mr. Simpson, and began my work at Forfar, 
being received by the committee which had 
invited me. Forfar is a city of 12,000 people, 
and was said to be one of the most dissipated 
little cities in all Scotland. Indeed, a Scotch 
friend in London advised me not to go to For- 
far at all, because, in his opinion, my efforts 



216 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

could only result in a flat failure, and to begin 
my campaign with a failure would be most in- 
auspicious for my career in Great Britain. But 
I was not to be deterred, feeling it my duty to 
go, although I will confess that I went with 
not a few misgivings. As is customary, there 
was a great tea on my arrival, ministers from 
all the country round receiving invitations to 
come and take tea with Mr. Murphy. The 
Rev. George H. Caie, the parish minister, pre- 
sided, and there was no lack among the guests 
of distinguished people. Speeches, of course, 
were part of the programme, and I then and 
there was made acquainted personally for the 
first time with what is meant by the cordiality 
of 'a true Scotch welcome.' I was booked to 
speak on Sunday in a beautiful hall which held 
about 2000 people. Mr. Caie himself presided, 
a high compliment in a country where the 
parish minister is held in general esteem, and 
where his indorsement is very much coveted by 
strangers with novel methods and ways, since 
it carries the greatest possible influence. Mr. 
Caie, by the way, is a fine type of the cultured 
gentleman, and had been tutor to the Marquis 
of Lome. He was not himself a total abstainer, 
and looked upon total abstinence as the 'intem- 
perance of temperance.' His willingness to 
preside at a Blue Ribbon meeting was merely 
an act of courtesy to a prominent American. 
"The omens of that first meeting on Scotch 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 217 

soil were far from propitious. Indeed I recalled 
what my friend in London had predicted. I 
spoke for about an hour, and the audience, after 
singing a psalm, received the benediction and 
walked out. Not a single pledge was signed, 
and I heard that everybody was disappointed 
in me. But I was to have another chance, and 
to speak again on Monday night, when the 
parish minister was again to preside. I was 
told that Mr. Caie, at the close of this second 
meeting, intended to get up and say that he 
would have nothing more to do with my work, 
as he had not originally believed in total absti- 
nence and still remained unconvinced by what 
I had said. 

"You can easily appreciate how completely 
overwhelmed I was by this news, and how great 
was my sorrow of heart. I stayed in my room 
all day Monday thinking of nothing but my 
failure of the night before, and the determina- 
tion of the parish minister to drop me. I 
looked across the great Atlantic, summoning 
before me the dear faces of my friends in 
America for sympathy in my hour of despera- 
tion. Then I opened my Bible and read: 
'Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall 
find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' 
Then, somewhat comforted, I fell upon my 
knees and asked God to help me to honor him 
in that far away land, and to give me access 
to the hearts of these strange people. I rose 



218 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

from my knees strong in the consciousness 
that I must, and would, win the victory. 

"With the power of that prayer buoying 
me up I went to the meeting. The hall was 
packed and many were unable to get into it 
at all. Mr. Caie again presented me to the 
people. I came forward and began my talk. 
As I continued I felt the power that had been 
given to me mastering me and dominating the 
words as they fell from my lips. Just before 
I closed I turned and looked into the face of 
Mr. Caie. It was one of the most beautiful 
faces I was ever privileged to see. I think it 
must have somewhat resembled the face of the 
man whom Longfellow encountered on the 
Continent, a face so pure that the poet 
thought that he saw in it the very sign of the 
cross. Out of the eyes of this noble parish 
minister great tears were falling. I cannot 
describe what my own feelings were at the 
time. But I concluded my speech. At the 
moment that I did so Mr. Caie came to my 
side and said : 'I will sign this pledge. This is 
God's work. I want everyone of my parish- 
ioners to join with me in this.' Then Mr. Caie 
came forward and signed the pledge and put on 
the Blue Ribbon, and, so great was his influ- 
ence, 400 others came forward and signed the 
pledge also that night. The gates of brass 
were broken, and this movement walked up 
and down the hills of bonny Scotland until 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 219 

300,000 people had signed the pledge and put 
on the Blue Ribbon, to the glory of God and 
to the promotion of clean living, honest hearts, 
and happy homes. 

"After my visit at Forfar I next conducted 
campaigns in Brechin, Stirling, Montrose, and 
Perth. I went to Dundee, invited there by 
Provost Moncur and the ministers. The 
mayor, or provost, was a Christian gentleman 
and a total abstainer. He presided at the 
meeting, introduced me, signed the pledge, and 
put on the Blue Ribbon, thus giving the bene- 
fit of his great influence to the work. In 
Edinburgh 18,000 people signed the gospel tem- 
perance pledge ; in Aberdeen, 18,000; in Glas- 
gow, about 20,000. My statement of 300,000 
as the total number of signers in Scotland is 
given upon the estimate of J. H. Martin of 
Dundee, the official secretary of gospel temper- 
ance organization in Scotland. It may interest 
my friends to know that a famous tea was given 
for me in Dundee. It was reported to be the 
largest ever known in the history of the United 
Kingdom. The place chosen for it was the 
Drill Hall, and 3000 persons sat down at the 
tables. Provost Moncur presided, and the 
feast was furnished by the Lambs of Dundee, 
famous caterers who kept the Lamb Hotel. 
This was just before I left for London, and was 
a most gratifying bon voyage. 

"I should not wish to omit, in recording my 



220 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

pleasant experiences in Scotland, some mention 
of my charming entertainment by Lord Kin- 
naird at Rossie Priory, his country seat. Lord 
Kinnaird is a fine type of the English aristocrat 
at his best. The invitation to his home in- 
cluded myself and my family. His house is as 
open to the poor as was the house of the sweet- 
souled bishop pictured in 'Les Miserables.' 
Lord Kinnaird, during our own great Rebellion, 
was a strong friend to America and freedom. 
Unless I was misinformed it was he who intro- 
duced Henry Ward Beecher and the Rev. 
Bishop Simpson of the Methodist Church to 
Lord John Russell, then Prime Minister of 
England. I found him to be one of the kind- 
liest, gentlest, and most helpful men I have 
ever met; wholly destitute of conceit of any 
kind ; a man of great wealth and influence, and 
the highest social position, but arrogating to 
himself nothing on the score of his standing, 
talents, or deserts. We held a public meeting 
in the chapel on his estate, at which he himself 
presided. Provost Moncur came from Dundee, 
as did the provosts from other cities, and when 
I arose to address them I found a very distin- 
guished assemblage gathered together to hear 
me present the claims of Gospel Temperance 
Reform and the Blue Ribbon army. The meet- 
ing proved to be a deeply interesting one, and 
a great many signed the pledge and put on the 
Ribbon. Lady Kinnaird and her daughters 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 221 

were enthusiastic in their support of the good 
cause, and their help proved very effective. 

"Scotland has often been spoken of as the 
land of drunkards. My own experience leads 
me to think that this charge is greatly exagger- 
ated, so greatly exaggerated as to be almost a 
libel. I was brought in close contact with the 
masses of the Scotch people, and I found 
among them a multitude of the most enthusi- 
astic, self-sacrificing, and devoted temperance 
men and women I have ever met in all my life. 
It is an accusation of gross injustice to charge 
the Scotch people with almost universal 
drunkenness. They are proverbially convivial 
and hospitable, ready to meet strangers with an 
overflowing kindness. 

"As for another matter. It has been said 
that the Scotch people cannot see a joke or tell 
one, but I found them most mirthful folk. I 
even made the discovery that a Scotchman can 
tell a story and tell it better, that is, put more 
true humor into it, than any man on earth. 
James Guthrie, the son of the distinguished 
poet-preacher of Scotland, is one of the wittiest 
men on his feet before an audience that I ever 
encountered. He gave me great support and 
encouragement in my work, and it was the 
sort of support and encouragement which 
counted for large effectiveness. 

"Another Scotch friend whose hospitality I 
would be loth to pass over is William Ruther- 



222 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

ford. He was a member of the committee 
that invited me to Forfar, and he entertained 
me in his own home. I found his mother and 
his sisters as well as himself most charming 
and attractive people. He was the foreman 
of Mr. Laird's manufacturing establishment of 
linens and carpets. He has since come to 
this country and has settled at Oakland, Cal., 
where he operates the only cotton mill, I 
believe, on the Pacific slope. When I visited 
Oakland I received a hearty welcome from 
him, and he gave me the greatest possible 
assistance in furthering gospel temperance 
work in California. 

"When I left Scotland I went to London 
and began a series of meetings in Mr. Spur- 
geon's Tabernacle. That wonderful Baptist 
preacher himself presided. On the first night 
there were 9000 people in the building. I 
went with one of the deacons up three tiers of 
galleries to get a look at the great mass below, 
and it was indeed an inspiring spectacle. I 
had fortunately met Mr. Spurgeon before. 
When I went to England I bore a letter from 
President Hayes commending me in the 
heartiest manner to the love and confidence 
of the people of Great Britain. This letter 
proved of the greatest value to me. It at 
once commanded for me a hearing with the 
Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, the Rev. Dr. Joseph 
Parker, the celebrated pastor of the City 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 223 

Temple, Mr. Gladstone, and others of equal 
influence. I had this letter indorsed by Min- 
ister James Russell Lowell, who was kind 
enough to add to it his own personal com- 
mendation couched in the heartiest language. 
I never spoke to a more enthusiastic audience 
than that audience of English people gathered 
in Spurgeon's Tabernacle for the opening of 
my London campaign. It proved in sober 
truth a marvelous meeting. At times the 
people actually rose and shouted and cheered. 
Mr. Spurgeon from then on was my fast 
friend. Dr. Parker, a man in his way of 
almost equal influence, invited us to his home 
and entertained us, laying us under great obli- 
gations for his distinguished kindness. We 
were also guests at that time in Mr. Spurgeon's 
home, and I shall always cherish the memory 
of those happy hours passed with the great 
preacher in his own family circle. 

"The meetings at the Tabernacle continued 
for ten days. I spoke in Hoxton Hall also, 
by invitation of Mr. Noble. From London I 
went to Norwich, invitations having come to 
me from many places, many more than I could 
possibly respond to. The Rev. Mr. McAllis- 
ter, pastor of the Presbyterian church in Nor- 
wich, the rector of an Episcopal church there, 
and Mr. Cole, the agent of the total abstinence 
society, were among those who induced me to 
undertake the campaign in that city. The 



224 THE BLUE RIB BOM. 

demonstration of welcome accorded to me on 
my arrival at the station was almost over- 
whelming. It was estimated that there were 
3000 people in line. There were six carriages, 
each with four white horses and scarlet-garbed 
riders wearing Blue Ribbon sashes. Even the 
horses were elaborately decorated with Blue 
Ribbons. There were a number of bands of 
music. The street decorations were unique. 
On every side could be seen bottles minus 
their corks hanging out of the windows — this 
of course to signify that they had been 
emptied once and forever and had gone out 
of business. The day was not without its 
pathetic incidents. A poor ragged woman 
shouted a welcome to me from a garret win- 
dow, exclaiming: 'God give you success, Mr. 
Murphy!' At the railway station the Stars 
and Stripes and the Union Jack were inter- 
twined. Thus a touch of international color 
was given to the demonstration. The initial 
meeting was held in St. George's Hall, one of 
the finest halls in England. The Norwich 
campaign in all resulted in obtaining about 
20,000 signatures for the Blue Ribbon pledge. 
"We went to Manchester at the invitation of 
Peter Spence, the well-known manufacturer of 
saltpeter. He is a Scotchman by birth, a true 
Christian and a gentleman of great liberality. 
He bore all the expense of the meetings him- 
self, and entertained us most hospitably at 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 225 

his own home. His son, who bears the same 
name as his father, was a thorough temperance 
man and most effectively helpful in prosecut- 
ing the work. We carried on a series of meet- 
ings in a large hall, the name of which has just 
now escaped me. We also held meetings in 
the Free Trade Hall, which has a seating capa- 
city of 5000 persons. Even this did not ex- 
haust the desire for attendance, and overflow 
meetings were a frequent occurrence. It was 
estimated that the meetings held there during 
the year, including our work and the work that 
succeeded ours, added a total of 50,000 pledge 
signers to the Blue Ribbon army in Man£ 
Chester. 

"I have no means at hand of making a 
reliable estimate of the total number of those 
who signed the pledge and put on the Blue 
Ribbon as the result of the movement in Eng- 
land. I have heard it put as high as a million. 
There is one thing to which I would like to 
give special prominence. The English people 
carry methods of greater thoroughness into 
their temperance work than we do here in this 
country. Whenever a man signs the pledge 
over there, his name is promptly entered in a 
book kept for the purpose, and he is looked 
after with constant care. He must be a very 
persistent backslider if he yields to temptation 
and falls again into his old ways. This thor- 
oughness of method applies to every detail of 



226 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

temperance work. Cities are laid out in dis- 
tricts, and the people in these districts are 
visited with the same regularity as that of the 
government school inspectors. There are many 
things about the English methods that could 
be adopted to advantage in this country. 
When the work has once been started in Eng- 
land there is in no place any lack of men to 
carry it on. 

"The freedom of the Gospel Temperance 
work seems especially to commend it to Eng- 
lish public opinion. The English soon dis- 
covered that there was no patent right about 
it ; anybody and everybody could engage in it. 
Mr. Gladstone once said that the Blue Ribbon 
movement was the only temperance movement 
that commanded his implicit confidence, as 
carrying with it permanent results for good. 
The Queen herself, in a speech from the throne, 
gave public thanks for the great blessings that 
had come to the people of the United King- 
dom through the instrumentality of Gospel 
Temperance. It was everywhere a subject of 
remark and comment that the movement had 
been largely influential in turning the English 
people away from the 'publics' and in restoring 
them to their own homes. 

"Among other incidents of the campaign in 
Great Britain which stand out clearly defined 
in my memory is a series of meetings which we 
held in Exeter Hall, London, which may be 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 227 

called the Faneuil Hall of London, England's 
cradle of liberty. It was of itself an inspiration 
to speak in that hall, and for ten nights we 
averaged 600 signers a night to the Blue Rib- 
bon pledge. 

"I must also not forget to mention the series 
of meetings in Lancaster, where I was the guest 
of the Hon. George H. Howard, M. P., heir to 
the earldom of Carlisle. It was through the 
influence of his wife, Lady Howard, that these 
meetings were inaugurated, she and her hus- 
band having signed the pledge previous to 
my coming. They have a very large estate, 
and there was a brewhouse upon it which fur- 
nished beer for all visitors, open-handed hospi- 
tality being the order of the day at the Manor 
House, and a lunch being served to all who 
came whether of high or low degree. Of course 
all the tenants who visited the castle were pro- 
vided with all the beer that they could drink. 
But when Lady Howard became interested in 
the Blue Ribbon movement she persuaded her 
husband to close up the brewhouse and the 
public houses on the estate as well; that is, as 
fast as their leases expired. It would be impos- 
sible to measure the influence of Mr. Howard 
and his wife in that part of England in extend- 
ing and strengthening popular sentiment for 
total abstinence. The example of a titled 
family has an effect in Great Britain that we 
can scarcely comprehend in this country. 



228 THE BLUE RIBBON, 

''The work in Ireland was conducted by my 
son, Thomas Edward. Mr. McCarty, the secre- 
tary of the temperance society of Dublin, 
visited me in Scotland and extended an invita- 
tion to me to inaugurate a campaign in the 
Emerald Isle. The meetings were held in the 
Christian Building, which had a seating capacity 
of 2500. The warmth of my reception in the 
country of my birth equaled the proverbial 
Irish character, the Irish reputation for enthu- 
siasm and hospitality, and can only be described 
as an ovation, especially in Belfast, where 'Ned' 
had been conducting the campaign. As I 
remember it 30,000 people of that city signed 
the pledge in fifteen days at his meetings, 
which were held in Ulster Hall. He remained 
in Ireland about a year, and won 150,000 people 
to take a stand for total abstinence." 

These reminiscences of his great campaign 
in England, prepared by personal request espe- 
cially for this volume, give a very comprehen- 
sive view of the nature, value, and extent of 
the work done for total abstinence in Great 
Britain by Francis Murphy and Thomas Edward 
Murphy. The changes wrought by the prog- 
ress of the Blue Ribbon movement there have 
left an impression, which time can never efface, 
upon the history of the social life of the period, 
and justify in some cases the use of the word 
"revolution" as applicable to a description of 
the permanent results. It is now seen that, 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 229 

when Walter Besant referred to the Blue Rib- 
bon as the symbol of the reform which has 
taken place in the drinking habits of society 
since the Queen ascended the throne, he was 
only stating in another way, and by inference, 
the facts and figures which were presented to 
the World's Fair Temperance Congress in the 
paper presented by John T. Rae, assistant sec- 
retary to the National Temperance League of 
Great Britain. 

It remains then to speak more in detail of 
the great part taken in the inauguration of this 
movement by "Ned" Murphy, who at times 
appeared on the same platform with his father, 
but more generally worked independently, 
owing to the pressure of the popular demand 
for their services, and the great need that 
existed for these services in widely separated 
districts which they could not reach jointly. 

We have already, in the story of how "Ned" 
Murphy discovered his ability to speak, and not 
simply to "orate," on temperance, described the 
great success of his work in Haslingden, where 
that discovery was first made. Very early in 
his career on the English temperance platform, 
in fact, while the laurels of his Haslingden 
achievement were still fresh on his youthful 
brow, he discovered the difference between 
the conditions of temperance work in Eng- 
land and America, the difference in the peculi- 
arities of the people, the constant need for 



230 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

tact and discretion, and the use of his wits to 
turn a seeming check into an advantage for the 
cause — that is, in the end to have the laugh on 
his side. An incident of his campaign in Has- 
lingden and its vicinity may serve to illustrate 
the readiness of resource which he was forced 
to cultivate. It was certainly a most embarrass- 
ing happening, one from which few could extri- 
cate themselves with credit. 

There was in Haslingden a family whose 
influence and position made their indorsement 
of the Blue Ribbon a matter of importance. 
This at least was the opinion of a Haslingden 
minister, one greatly interested in "Ned 
Murphy's success. It is not Mr. Murphy's 
way to go out and seek for influential recruits. 
In fact, it may be said to be against his prin- 
ciples to do any "temperance drumming." In 
this case, however, the clergyman in question 
was so solicitous and so pressing that Mr. 
Murphy should call on this family and make a 
personal effort to interest them in the Blue 
Ribbon cause, that he yielded against his own 
judgment and complied. The young lady of 
the family had recently returned from Palestine, 
and had brought home with her many interest- 
ing mementoes of her trip. This fact was used 
as an excuse by the persistent clergyman for 
taking Mr. Murphy to the house, that he would 
be interested to see these mementoes and talk 
over the trip. It was a distinct understanding 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 23 1 

between Mr. Murphy and the minister that he 
was not to "talk shop" unless circumstances 
made it an easy and natural thing to do. 

The visit proved to be far from a success. 
Mr. Murphy found both ladies, the mother and 
daughter, chilling to the point of frigidity. Per- 
haps they thought that he had been guilty of 
something unconventional in entering their 
home, even by the introduction of his friend 
and their friend, the minister, without previous 
announcement and invitation, or perhaps it 
was a case simply of English shyness toward 
strangers. At any rate the conversation turned 
not so much on Palestine as on America, The 
young lady had been quite a traveler and had 
"done the States." Her impression of America 
was far from flattering, and she had the poor 
taste to describe her impressions to her Ameri- 
can visitor with typical English bluntness. She 
called many of the customs of the country 
"coarse," and not a few of the people "un- 
couth." "Ned" Murphy is first of all an 
American. His pride was touched by such 
remarks about America, and he felt that they 
were peculiarly offensive in coming from a lady 
in her own house to a caller who was there 
through no special volition of his own. In a 
polite way he allowed the two ladies to see his 
resentment, if that be not too strong a word, 
at such talk at such a time, and he quickly 
brought his call to a close. 



232 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Whether the ladies on thinking it over came 
rather to respect him for his national spunki- 
ness, or whether the)' thought an amend was 
due him for a seeming discourtesy, the mother, 
at any rate, extended to him an invitation to 
dine at the house the next evening. This invi- 
tation he declined immediately. This evi- 
dently impressed the family with the fact that 
Mr. Murphy was not the sort of person to run 
after people because of their wealth or social 
position. He had evidently gained their re- 
spect, and they were anxious to show it. The 
entire family attended his meeting the next 
evening and at its conclusion he received from 
them the always welcome recognition of a gift 
of beautiful flowers. Then he was again 
invited to dine at the house, and this time of 
course he accepted the invitation. No wine 
was served at the dinner, and his hostess told 
him that this was the first time such a thing 
had happened in her house for twenty-five 
years. The acquaintance thus finally placed 
on a pleasant footing grew into a genuine 
friendship. The home of the family was always 
his home whenever he was in that part of the 
country. Mr. Murphy was able in his own 
peculiar fashion to return this much appreciated 
hospitality. A brother of the family, who had 
a charming wife and three lovely children, 
seemed likely to wreck his happiness through 
dissipation, He came under Mr, Murphy's 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 233 

influence, signed the pledge and put on the 
Blue Ribbon, and was saved to his home and 
to his future. 

The daughter, the one who at the first call 
could not talk Palestine but would talk America 
so disagreeably, became greatly interested in 
the campaign, and rented a large house for a 
workingman's club. And just here comes in an 
incident, one of the most unpleasant experi- 
ences which ever befell "Ned" Murphy on the 
platform. 

Being so much of an enthusiast this young 
lady attended all of "Ned" Murphy's meetings 
when held in Haslingden or its vicinity, often 
driving miles to be present and invariably sit- 
ting on the platform. Very naturally her 
prominence in the campaign gave rise to more 
or less gossip as to their personal relations, 
gossip which as a matter of fact had no founda- 
tion. At one of the meetings, a meeting held 
at some distance from Haslindgen, a drunken 
fellow arose in the audience and asked if he 
might put a question. Mr. Murphy, whose 
habit it is to encourage rather than repress 
familiarity, even in the case of those not alto- 
gether sober (often finding it the most effective 
way to handle and control them) assented. 
"My question is this," said the interrogator 
with a funny look upon his face: "May I be 
so bold as to ask you if there is any truth in 
certain rumors that you are intending to marry 



234 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a certain young lady who goes to your meet- 
ings, and who always sits upon the platform?" 
The young lady in question was right before 
Mr. Murphy and right before the audience. 
There was no dodging who was meant any 
more than what was meant. Perhaps Mr. 
Murphy turned the question as skillfully as 
could have been done under the circum- 
stances. "My friends," said Mr. Murphy as 
he took in the situation, "you see here the 
degrading effects of the drink habit, as you 
seldom have a chance to see them. Very 
likely this man who asked me this coarse and 
impertinent question, is, when not in his cups, 
a very decent sort of man. But when under 
the influence of drink he has, as you see, no 
regard for the amenities of life, no respect for 
its civilities, nor even for its common decencies. 
He will even outrage the feelings of a lady in 
the presence of as many people as are here 
assembled. Probably there is not one among 
you who does not resent such conduct upon 
his part, and who does not feel sure that he 
himself, even if he had been guilty of drinking 
too freely, would be able to practice self-con- 
trol and avoid the boorishness this man has 
publicly exhibited. But that is something 
that none of you can count on with certainty. 
When you have once taken too much, anything 
is possible for you, and all your natural refine- 
ment may be lost." 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 235 

Mr. Murphy continued in this strain for 
some little time, and then turned his talk into 
a more accustomed channel. But it was evi- 
dent, unpleasant as it was, that his manner of 
handling it made no little impression on the 
audience. When it was time to sign the 
pledge and put on the Blue Ribbon over 300 
came forward to enroll themselves.. As for 
the young lady herself she in the future re- 
frained from attending Mr. Murphy's meetings 
or sitting on the platform. She, however, 
retained her strong interest in his work and 
her personal friendship for himself, and when, 
some five years later, Mr. Murphy visited Eng- 
land on his bridal trip he and his bride were 
guests at her home. It was also very largely 
through her influence that Haslingden has a 
club for workingmen, a tribute to the perma- 
nence of Mr. Murphy's work in the first Eng- 
lish town where he inaugurated a campaign, to 
attend the dedication of which he was invited 
to cross the Atlantic in the spring of 1894. 

Another incident somewhat similar to the 
one already related occurred at Diss, near Nor- 
folk, in the brewing district. The meetings 
here were attended by a crowd of toughs who 
went to them with the avowed intention of 
breaking up Mr. Murphy's speeches and the 
precedings. They even "had the cheek" to 
bring ale with them and to drink it openly 
in contempt of Blue Ribbon campaigns and 



236 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

orators. The first night they did this Mr. 
Murphy caught the crowd by asking it if this 
sort of thing was the British idea of fair play. 
With the crowd on his side and their joke fall- 
ing somewhat flat, they desisted for that even- 
ing from their guying. They gathered courage 
in the following twenty-four hours and ap- 
peared at the next evening's meeting with a 
new supply of ale. As Mr. Murphy reached 
some climax the spokesman of the crowd 
would exclaim in stentorian tones: "That 
point isn't strong enough. Come, boys, let's 
make it a little stronger!" and then the crowd 
would drink in concert. In short by these 
tactics they taxed Mr. Murphy's patience and 
good nature to the extreme. But he did not 
give up the battle, but renewed his appeals to 
them and to the crowd in behalf of fair play. 
At last they were conquered, and many of 
them in the end were among Mr. Murphy's 
converts. 

Before he had been in England long Mr. 
Murphy found that he had to be extremely 
careful to avoid all questions on which there 
might be a diversity of opinion, and all refer- 
ence to men in public life. For example, at 
one place in Ireland he happened by way of 
illustration to mention Gladstone and the Irish 
question. Much to his surprise he was greeted 
with a round of hisses. Then he thought to 
better himself by referring to Disraeli. That 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 237 

took as badly with the crowd, for he was hissed 
again. "After that," says Mr. Murphy, in his 
humorous way, "I confined myself to what 
Murphy had to say." Indeed it is Mr. 
Murphy's opinion that party intolerance on 
the other side of the Atlantic is a much 
stronger and more bitter feeling than what we 
in America call partisanship. There is no com- 
parison, indeed, to be made betwen the two 
countries in this regard. The advantage is all 
on the side of America in broad-mindedness 
toward political opponents. 

Another English custom which Mr. Murphy 
at first found very disconcerting was the habit 
of marking approval by calling out, "Hear, 
Hear!" To untrained ears this cry has a 
very different effect from the handclapping 
of American approval. But it was something 
to which the American orator soon became 
accustomed. 

Perhaps the largest meeting which Mr. 
Murphy addressed during his campaign in 
Great Britain, excepting of course the one in 
Spurgeon's Tabernacle, which was addressed 
by his father and himself, was that held in 
the Free Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, which is 
supposed to have a seating capacity of about 
3000, but which was crowded to the doors. 
On this occasion Mr. Murphy was introduced 
by Dr. Adamson. Other large halls in which 
he spoke include: Free Trade Hall and Hen- 



238 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

gler's Circus, Manchester ; Ulster Hall, Belfast ; 
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. 

We have already spoken at some length of 
Mr. Murphy's campaign in Haslingden. Other 
incidents of that campaign may be interesting. 
It will be remembered that more than half the 
population was enrolled through Mr. Murphy's 
efforts in the Blue Ribbon army, and the work 
did not languish in his absence but was pushed 
on with effective vigor. In January, 1882, some 
little time after he had closed his campaign 
there, he revisited the town to attend a meet- 
ing of its temperance society. The Methodist, 
in referring to the occasion, says: " A casual 
observer would have thought in looking at the 
well-dressed audience that this movement had 
failed to reach the dregs of society. But the 
truth is that there were many there who a few 
weeks ago had been clothed in rags." This 
tribute, so obvious to the eye of what the 
reform accomplished, practically and evidently, 
must have been very gratifying to Mr. Murphy. 
At a later date by some months the Rev. F. 
Standfast, one of the local ministers in Hasling- 
den, made his report to the Gospel Temperance 
Herald : "There has hardly been any work for 
the magistrates to do. For several weeks there 
has not been a single apprehension for drunken- 
ness, and then there were only two apprehen- 
sions, but in both cases the prisoners were 
tramps. The business of the publicans has 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 239 

suffered very considerably and appreciably. 
It has been no unusual thing for a public house 
to be closed at ten o'clock, when, by the terms 
of its license, it is allowed to be kept open until 
eleven o'clock. The reason of course is a plain 
one, simply the lack of custom. One publican 
has given up the business and become a baker; 
another has done the same thing and gone into 
a mill ; still another has had the rent of his pub- 
lic reduced to twenty pounds per annum, and the 
landlady of another who asked that her rent 
might be reduced received this remarkable reply: 
'No, your rent cannot be reduced ; but you had 
better turn your public into a coffee-house.' ' 

What was true of Haslingden was true in 
a large degree of the other towns in which Mr. 
Murphy spoke at that time. Some figures 
may give an idea of this. In Warrington, with 
a population of 30,000, there were 8000 signers 
to the Blue Ribbon pledge; in Burnley, with a 
population of 10,000, 5000 signers; in Paisley, 
with a population of 60,000, 13,000 signers. In 
St. Helens there were 12,000 signers, a fact so 
remarkable as to attract the attention of Oakey 
Hall who was then in London, and, as a result, 
he wrote a long letter to the Brooklyn Eagle 
of "Ned" Murphy's phenomenal success. In 
Aberdeen there were 10,000 signers, and 12,000 
signers in London as the fruit of the movement 
in Exeter Hall and vicinity, conducted by the 
two Murphys, father and son. 



240 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

After leaving Haslingden Mr. Murphy con- 
ducted a campaign in Rawtenstall. One inci- 
dent of this campaign, illustrating Mr. Mur- 
phy's presence of mind, is worth noting. It 
is reported in the Methodist Recorder : "On 
Thursday night, when the Co-operative Hall 
was densely packed, smoke was seen to issue 
from the floor, and someone raised an alarm of 
fire. Mr. Murphy shouted at the top of his 
powerful voice, calling on the densely packed 
audience to have confidence in himself until he 
could ascertain the cause of the smoke. Then 
was given a remarkable tribute to the control 
which he exercised over those present. They 
patiently waited until the hallkeeper was sum- 
moned, who assured them that the smoke came 
from a flue. What might have proved a great 
calamity was thus providentially averted." 

The same paper says of the work in Rawten- 
stall : "On Thursday the many-sided nature of 
the movement was seen in the mothers' meet- 
ing and the children's service. Christian unity 
has been a prominent characteristic of the 
movement, the ministers of the different 
denominations meeting on the same platform 
and helping in the same meetings for prayer 
and praise. The noonday prayer meetings 
have been attended by hundreds. So eager 
have been the people to enroll themselves that 
an opportunity was given during the day at 
several shops near the hall. The success has 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 24 1 

astonished all the old temperance workers in 
the locality. The whole town has been 
aroused and nearly 3000 persons have already 
signed the pledge. The movement is still 
deepening and widening, and Mr. Murphy's 
enthusiasm lives on in the earnest, self-denying 
purpose of his followers." 

After an absence of a few weeks Mr. Murphy 
paid a second visit to Rawtenstall to see how 
the work had been progressing. This is what 
he found as reported in the Methodist: "Over 
5000 have enrolled themselves, representing 
about one-half of the population. All classes 
have been reached. Many of the quarrymen, 
noted for their recklessness and dissipation, 
have signed the pledge and put on the Blue 
Ribbon. Moody and Sankey hymns are often 
heard reverberating among the hills which once 
re-echoed with curses, oaths, and blasphemies. 
On the closing day a monster tea was given at 
which nearly 1000 were present. The publi- 
cans, as may be expected, are intensely bitter 
against the movement ; as a counter-attraction 
some of them have hired singers at consider- 
able cost. In one house all the audience, con- 
sisting of five, were found drinking non-intoxi- 
cants, and were contemptuously called by the 
landlady 'Murphyites.' A few weeks since as 
many as twenty men, who had been re- 
claimed on the previous Sunday, went to a 
primitive Sunday school. Some of those who 



242 THE BLUE RIBBON". 

have signed were clothed almost in rags, and 
self-respect prevented them from going to an 
ordinary Sunday School. But so eager are 
they in their new life that they have formed a 
class by themselves in a separate building until 
they can obtain decent clothing. Nearly the 
whole of the Rossendale Valley has been most 
strongly moved." 

Of the Blue Ribbon movement at Bury, 
which belongs to about this period, a report 
in the Christian Chronicle says: "Mr. Thomas 
E. Murphy has just closed a most successful 
campaign at Bury. For some time the tem- 
perance sentiment has been torpid and almost 
lifeless in Bury, only a few persons having been 
added to the various temperance societies the 
past year. Under the mighty impulse of this 
gospel temperance movement nearly 8000 new 
pledges have been secured in a fortnight, a 
blessing much larger than the friends of tem- 
perance hoped or even dared to pray for. 
Each new success proves that this movement 
is a gift of God's providence and grace; it 
proves itself to be adapted to British modes 
of thought as well as to American ; it appears 
to be the Hercules, able even in its infancy to 
worst intemperance in every conflict; now in- 
gathering 32,000 in a few weeks in Dundee, 
and anon in Lancashire sweeping on like a 
wave of light and life. A' variety of services 
has been held. One was at the barracks, where 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 243 

60 soldiers out of 100 signed, the major enroll- 
ing his name with several non-commissioned 
officers. At a childrens' service 700 signed, 
and at a meeting for women only, a goodly 
portion enrolled themselves in the movement. 
On the last day a convention was held, when 
suggestive and practical papers on the varied 
phases of temperance reform were read, and 
some thrilling testimonies were given. After- 
noon tea was provided for 1000. If eloquence 
be measured by its persuasive effects, then 
Gough in his happiest days came far behind 
the Murphys, father and son." 

In April, 1882, Mr. Murphy dropped his 
campaigning for an interval, to pay another 
visit to Haslingden, his first love. At this 
time the muster roll of its Blue Ribbon army 
had been swelled to 8000 out of a population 
of 12,000. In this connection it is remarked: 
"Haslingden is said to be the highest market 
town in England, being 800 feet above the sea 
level. Happily it is also a city set upon a 
hill with regard to Gospel Temperance, at least 
two out of every three of its accessible popu- 
lation being abstainers. On Saturday a mon- 
ster procession was formed. Although it 
rained and snowed at the time of starting, more 
than 3000 walked, and 5000 gathered in the 
square at the close. Such a procession had 
never before been seen in Haslingden. The 
work has been conserved in its advance bv wise 



244 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

plans and unflagging zeal. The ladies divided 
the town into districts, and held mothers' 
meetings and prayer meetings in the cottages. 
A Blue Ribbon club has been established where 
deserved prominence is given to social and 
entertaining features. It has successfully com- 
peted with the public houses, and several publi- 
cans have been enrolled by these meetings. 
Lectures by popular temperance advocates, 
and gospel temperance meetings held on Satur- 
day nights, have helped effectively to wean the 
people from the drink shops." No wonder, 
with system and thoroughness for watchwords, 
that Haslingden should thus take rank as the 
banner town of the Blue Ribbon movement in 
that section. 

Some of Mr. Murphy's talks at this time 
were not at all of the kind one would expect 
him to indulge in before a staid British audi- 
ence. He himself tells with considerable glee 
how on one occasion in a church he told two 
funny stories in succession without raising an 
audible smile anywhere. When he came to his 
third story he announced that he would tell 
them when to laugh, and, if they would kindly 
take his hint and act upon it, it would be of 
the greatest possible assistance to him in mak- 
ing a successful speech. His audience did act 
upon the hint, and he had no further occasion 
to announce laughter in advance. After this 
meeting one of the prominent men explained 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 245 

to him that the fault was not with the wit of 
his stories but the place where they were deliv- 
ered, as it was not considered proper in Eng- 
land to enjoy stories audibly in a church. As 
a result Mr. Murphy avoided "being as funny as 
he could" — as Oliver Wendell Holmes calls it — 
when he was in a church, and, indeed, modified 
all his addresses more or less to suit the English 
preference for argument over humor. Still he 
was as a rule as unconventional in his manner 
of treatment as in America. He put things 
plainly, and with unadorned common sense. 

The Guardian, for example, thus reports 
a speech made at Warrington: "Mr. Murphy 
spoke of the drink traffic, and said its great 
power consisted in the social fellowship with 
which it was surrounded. Some people 
thought they were called upon to assume a cer- 
tain religious bearing on the Sabbath day at 
church or chapel. This was often carried so 
far as to be repellant. For himself he would 
like to contrast the reception a young man, 
supposing him to be a stranger, was likely to 
meet in a public house with the reception he 
was apt to receive at a church or chapel. 
When such a young man went into a public 
house his presence there was at once recog- 
nized. A cordial greeting awaited him. In 
all probability he was at once asked by those 
present about himself, who he was and where 
he came from, and whether he would not have 



246 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

something to drink. Soon that young man 
and that company were on familiar, not to say 
intimate, terms. People did not stand on 
ceremony in publics. Now suppose that same 
young man, a perfect stranger, stepped into a 
church or chapel. Note the contrast. At the 
door such a young man might be met by a 
gentleman to ask him if he would like a seat, 
and thereupon seat him by the side of good 
Deacon Jones, who would, oftener than not, 
move along to the other end of the pew in 
order to give the young man plenty of room, 
being at the same time to all appearances so 
completely absorbed in what the minister was 
saying as to have no chance to pay any heed to 
the newcomer. But, as the service progressed, 
the good Deacon Jones might now and then be 
seen to cast furtive glances from the corner of 
his eye at the young stranger. And that is 
about as far as Christian fellowship is apt to 
reach. After the service is over the young 
man picks up his hat and walks out of the 
church. As soon as he gets outside he draws 
a sigh of relief, and says to himself: 'I am glad 
I am out of that.' What was the impression 
produced on that young man's mind regarding 
fellowship among church members ? Could any 
way be invented more effective in preventing 
young men from attending church? All this 
is a great mistake, a costly policy. The good 
Deacon Jones ought to have extended a 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 247 

hearty welcome to that young man, and to 
have introduced him to the minister at the 
close of the, service. This was the spirit which 
it was the aim of gospel temperance to culti- 
vate in all the meetings. It was the only spirit 
by which men could be won from evil associa- 
tions and confirmed in good resolutions and 
new habits of Christian sobriety." 

In a speech at Runcorn, made at about the 
same time, Mr. Murphy thus handled without 
gloves those professed friends of temperance 
who accused him of being mercenary and 
sneered at his motives. Mr. Murphy was thus 
reported in the Guardian : "The speaker 
remarked it was generally found that those 
people who made the most noise gave the least 
resistance ; and the majority of the fault finders 
were not the drinking men, but were the pro- 
fessed temperance people. These people stood 
aloof, criticised, and did most of the talking. 
Such people reminded him of a certain steamer 
that foundered in Lake Michigan, and of an 
incident that then occurred. The lifeboat was 
put off from the sinking steamer, and every 
possible effort was made to save the drowning 
passengers. A large number managed to keep 
themselves afloat by means of life-preservers. 
Passing one man who was floating along very 
easily those in the lifeboat hailed him and 
offered to help him on board. 'No,' said the 
man, 'save that man yonder with the red hair.' 



248 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Again he was entreated to get into the boat, 
but again he declined, urging the life-savers to 
put forth all their efforts for the 'man with the 
red hair.' This red-haired man was finally 
picked up. On getting ashore the captain of 
the lifeboat found the man to whom he had 
offered assistance lying gasping on the beach. 
Going up to him the captain asked him why he 
had been so reckless in regard to his own life, 
and so anxious about the 'man with the red 
hair.' Returned the man : 'He owed me two 
shillings, and I did not want to see him go 
down.' When people saw a man who professed 
temperance objecting to a movement like this of 
gospel temperance reform, they could be pretty 
sure that there was something mercenary behind 
those objections. Such a man was almost cer- 
tain to be the sort of man who would have 
nothing to do with a movement that cost him 
anything. Some of those present had paid for 
reserved seats, observed Mr. Murphy, but if 
they were dissatisfied because others who had 
not paid were put in those seats, if they would 
call upon him to-morrow he would refund them 
their money. A man who found pleasure in 
attending gospel temperance meetings and 
would not pay his share toward supporting 
them, who in fact gave much more of criticism 
than he did of aid, might at once be set down 
as a man who did not have at heart the true 
interests of the cause." 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 249 

But all the drawbacks were not confined to 
those who passed by the contribution box and 
were generous in criticism. Some of these 
drawbacks were of quite a different sort. The 
reporter of the Paisley Express, in closing an 
account of a meeting there, drops this broad 
hint: "It may not be out of place to notice 
that, while the committee is exceedingly anx- 
ious to please everybody, no adequate provision 
has been made for the accommodation of the 
tobacco chewers, and the result is a serious 
matter for the worthy keeper of the hall, Mr. 
Watson. Perhaps this hint may be taken and 
in future tobacco pouches be left at home." 
Thus it appears that "Ned" Murphy's meetings 
could be made too hospitably familiar for the 
comfort and profit of those who attended. 

In this popular way, "popular" in the true 
sense of an abused word, did "Ned" Murphy 
conduct the Blue Ribbon campaign in England 
to an issue of unanticipated triumph. The 
same methods were carried into the Irish cam- 
paign with equal success, the results of which 
have been already summarized by Mr. Francis 
Murphy, who gives to his son the sole credit of 
what was achieved. In this connection it is 
interesting to note what the Belfast News 
Letter, one of the oldest and most conservative 
journals in Ireland, says editorially in its issue 
of June 18, 1883: "Mr. T. E. Murphy, the 
popular advocate of gospel temperance, has 



250 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

commenced a fresh campaign in Belfast — or 
rather in Ulster — for all the principal towns in 
the north are to be included in its operation. 
Already 44,000 persons have signed the pledge 
in this town, and adopted the total abstinence 
badge. To judge of the work by the effects 
which have been produced it may be said that 
the Blue Ribbon movement is being attended 
with greater success than has ever been 
achieved by any organization which has been 
started in connection with temperance reform. 
It is calculated more than any other movement 
of the kind to engage the sympathy of the 
middle classes, whose example should have 
a powerful influence on the workingman." 
Such strong words of indorsement as these 
from a journal of the standing of the Belfast 
News Letter speak for themselves of the im- 
pression made upon a critical public by Mr. 
Murphy's campaign in Ireland. 

Some of the principal facts in that campaign 
were thus summarized by the Irish Christian 
Advocate : "Mr. T. E. Murphy, the well known 
temperance advocate, has completed his pres- 
ent campaign in Ireland, and the Executive 
Committee of the Irish Temperance League 
and a large number of friends have bidden him 
a formal adieu. Nine months ago he came to 
Ireland a comparatively unknown man — that 
is, as far as the temperance world here was 
concerned — and this week he leaves our shores 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 251 

one of the best known, best beloved, and 
most successful temperance reformers who 
ever visited this country. 

"During Mr. Murphy's visit to Ireland he 
has addressed two hundred meetings, as a 
direct result of which 100,000 persons have 
signed the pledge. That is a bold statement 
which needs supplement ; but on the face of it 
it bears recommendation. A man who cannot 
gain the ear of the people, especially when that 
man is a stranger, and a man who cannot show 
a genuine return for his labor, is not called 
upon, as a rule, to address two hundred meet- 
ings in nine months; but general evidence of 
that character is not the class of proof we wish 
to offer in favor of his work. One hundred 
thousand persons have signed the pledge 
under Mr. Murphy's advocacy. That is splen- 
did ; but the more important inquiry is, How 
many have kept it? This mission of Mr. 
Murphy's is a special effort, and was received 
by many with dubious headshakings. 'Words 
and excitement,' were the Alpha and Omega 
of the mission in the opinion of these critics. 
To determine accurately the number of those 
who have remained true to their pledge is diffi- 
cult, but the testimony of men in different 
parts of Ireland — men in whom the public 
have confidence — fortified by numerical returns 
in the possession of the Irish Temperance 
League, show that at least seventy per cent, of 



252 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the wcrk has been of a permanent character. 
In small places, like Aughnacloy, it is easy to 
ascertain the true state of affairs, and in that 
district a much larger proportion of signers 
than the seventy per cent, already given has 
been found constant to the pledge. 

"To test the work by figures gives a result 
which is eminently satisfactory, but we are not 
willing to admit the results of Mr. Murphy's 
work are confined within mere numerical 
bounds. The quickening effect of this mis- 
sion has had a peculiar influence all its own. 
There exists now a greater field for temper- 
ance work than ever before. We learn from 
the secretary of the Irish Temperance League 
that there is a greater demand than before 
for temperance advocates in all parts of the 
country. In places where temperance work 
was carried on before Mr. Murphy's visit its 
friends are more ardently energetic, while 
temperance societies have been formed in 
places where before this mission temperance 
work was unknown. The effect of the perma- 
nent adherence of seventy per cent, of the 
signers to their pledges has been visible from a 
commercial point of view in diminished liquor 
traffic. Mr. G. D. Leathern is a man well 
known in commercial circles, and his opinion 
on this subject must be accepted as of great 
value. Mr. Leathern reports that he meets 
with complaint from all parts of the country 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 253 

of a decreasing revenue from the liquor traffic, 
which has made itself palpably apparent on 
Mr. Murphy's departure from a district. In 
Belfast we ourselves know what the influence 
of the mission has been on Christmas drinking. 
We can judge by inquiries from reliable sources 
as to the general decrease of drunkenness, say 
in Messrs. Workman & Clarke's building yards, 
in which Mr. Murphy secured a large number 
of converts; then, again, in the sheds at quays. 
Instances could be multiplied ad libitum; but 
these are sufficient to uphold our statement 
that this special mission has been followed b}? 
great good and lasting results. In connection 
with the churches, temperance societies have 
been formed, with, in the first instance, old 
abstainers as a nucleus, but with the main 
body of members made up of persons who 
attached themselves to the temperance cause 
during Mr. Murphy's visit — Newington, for 
instance, where a society has been organized 
and holds largely attended weekly meetings, in 
which not a half dozen have broken the promise 
to abstain made at Mr. Murphy's meetings. 

"There is even a wider sphere in which Mr. 
Murphy's influence has been felt, one outside 
the ranks of both temperance society and 
church. He has popularized the Blue Ribbon 
which may now be worn without causing a 
sneer, something which has not been without 
its influence on weak-minded persons. 






254 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

"When we are asked to what we may attrib- 
ute such grand and striking results, we reply, 
in the first place: To the man. His work has 
been pervaded by his personality. It was not 
so much what he said, but Mr. Murphy himself 
that has won many a drunkard to the right 
track. He forgot himself, forgot everything 
save his mission, and when he had prepared 
the way by a speech to the crowd he was him- 
self down immediately afterward among the 
people to back up his appeal individually to as 
many particular persons as he could reach. 
His keen intuition has led him aright in this 
matter, and he has, as a rule, selected the very 
best cases for individual appeal. Hundreds of 
anecdotes are now current on the subject, all 
of an edifying nature, but all containing the 
one common idea: 'It was the man who won 
me.' 

"It is pleasant to see great works, great 
talents, and great men, receiving generous 
recognition, and Mr. Murphy cannot complain 
that his meed of praise has been inadequate. 
He is not the man to complain if it had been 
inadequate. He finds his chief reward in the 
knowledge that he has done good ; but such 
men become famous in spite of themselves. 
On Friday night a distinguished company of 
ladies and gentlemen assembled to present him 
with an album and an illuminated address. 
The address was signed by well known men — 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 255 

men well able to estimate accurately a man's 
moral worth, as well as his worth in other 
directions. The speeches delivered on this 
occasion were particularly valuable as testi- 
mony from men, who are not, as a rule, lavish 
in their praise or anxious to put themselves out 
of the way to follow a new light.' Mr. M. R. 
Dolway, D. L., President of the Irish Temper- 
ance League, who occupied the chair; Mr. 
Charles H. Knight, chairman of the executive 
committee; Mr. Finlay M'Cance, J. P.; Mr. 
G. D. Leathern, and Mr. John K. Mitchell, all 
spoke in terms of high commendation. The 
sterling reputation of these gentlemen is in 
itself sufficient to put the stamp of value upon 
the address presented, and upon all the words 
of praise uttered. They wished Mr. Murphy, 
as we wish him, complete success in his future 
career. He has a wide field before him, and he 
will, we are sure, take no step which will either 
diminish his influence as a temperance reformer, 
or tend to decrease the high estimation in 
which he is deservedly held." 

The album and address were presented to 
Mr. Murphy at Lombard Hall, Belfast, on the 
evening of Friday, February 1, 1884. The 
occurrence was reported at length in the Bel- 
fast papers, both the Northern Whig and the 
News Letter. From their reports certain feat- 
ures of the evening are taken. Letters of 
regret were received from Ven, Archdeacon 



256 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Stewart, D. D. ; the Rev. William Johnston, 
D. D. ; T. E. Macfarland, Brigade Surgeon, 

A. M. D.; J. Cuthbert, J. P., and the Rev. J. 

B. Crozier, A. M. The chairman, Mr. Dalway, 
in the course of his address said: "We have 
had a great many temperance advocates in 
Ireland who have come here from all districts 
of England and elsewhere — men well versed 
in the temperance question — but never on any 
occasion, I think, has such a result attended 
their efforts as that which has followed the 
labors of Mr. Murphy. He has been a very 
great blessing indeed to our country, and I be- 
lieve he has made a mark here which will be a 
lasting one. I know that Mr. Murphy needs 
no words of commendation from me, and I am 
sure that it would be impossible for me to do 
justice to the subject. But this much I will 
say. I have a very warm feeling for him. I 
have, indeed, an affection, although I cannot 
say I have known him very long. But the 
oftener I see him, it seems to me, the better I 
like him. I can say in truth of him this — that 
he is a true man, and I think that is the strong- 
est expression I can use to illustrate what my 
impression of him is; in very truth it is so 
seldom nowadays that you do meet with a true 
man. I wish him every success in life and in 
his own country, and all I can add is — and in 
this I am sure you will all join with me — that 
I am very sorry he is going to leave us. One 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 257 

thing I must say is that we do not want any 
handshaking across the Atlantic, but that we 
will be very glad to see him here in Ireland 
again as soon as he can conveniently come 
back to us." 

Mr. Charles H. Knight, the chairman of the 
executive committee, who made the presenta- 
tion of the album and address, said, as reported 
in the Belfast News Letter, that "in all great 
social struggles there have been many cham- 
pions. This had been true of the anti-slavery 
movement and of the great movement to 
abolish the corn laws. In the temperance cause 
they had their Father Mathew and others, the 
legislative side of the question having been in 
the hands of able advocates such as Sir Wilfred 
Lawson and the Hon. Neal Dow, and the 
physiological side having been taken by a lead- 
ing authority, Dr. Richardson. But Mr. Mur- 
phy presented perhaps the most important side 
of all — for he is the champion of the social and 
domestic aspects of the great reform, those 
which especially needed a powerful advocacy. 
In Mr. Murphy's method there was one thing 
which had called forth the special and hearty 
approval of all, the sympathy of high and low, 
of rich and poor, and that was the heartiness of 
Mr. Murphy's individual appeals. Mr. Murphy 
had not been satisfied with merely standing on 
the platform to advocate the cause and, sitting 
down amid thunders of applause, permitting 



258 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

his efforts to be exhausted, but he had gone 
down among the people, taking them by the 
hand individually, and pleaded with them to 
join the temperance ranks. That was a feature 
of his temperance advocacy, which was specially 
worthy of imitation, and it was one that in his 
(the speaker's) personal intercourse with Mr. 
Murphy was noticed with special approval. 
The Irish Temperance League owed a deep 
debt of gratitude to Mr. Murphy. For him- 
self and his colleagues he could say that 
they felt more devoted and more resolved 
to do battle with intemperance than ever 
before, owing to the inspiration of Mr. Mur- 
phy's visit:. They were assembled there to 
say farewell. That was the one sad thought 
in connection with the pleasant programme of 
the evening. The thought of farewell was one 
fraught with special sadness to himself, for 
during the few months he had known Mr. 
Murphy he had learned to love him almost as 
a brother. It would be a terrible wrench to 
him personally when Mr. Murphy left Ireland. 
But this was an event which they could not 
control, and so all that was left for them was 
to wish him every prosperity and great suc- 
cess in his future labors in the temperance 
cause, and in bidding him farewell extend to 
him a strong hand grasp of regret and good 
will." 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 259 

Another speaker, Mr. Finlay M'Cance, J. P., 
said that "he could safely assert that not a 
word too much had been said that night — in 
fact, words could hardly express the feelings 
all must have in reference to the good which 
had resulted from Mr. Murphy's work. For 
himself he felt that Mr. Murphy had been a 
personal friend. He had enjoyed the pleasure 
of having Mr. Murphy in his own locality 
(Dunmerry), and he knew the result had not 
been, as many had predicted it would be at 
the beginning, transitory, or such as would 
pass away in mere excitement. Mr. Murphy's 
work had aroused a permanent feeling among 
the people, one which had produced more last- 
ing results as it went on. He believed that it 
was the general opinion of thinking people. 
He believed that there had been no advocate 
of a temperance cause preceding Mr. Murphy 
who had done half the amount of good, lasting 
work. He joined with the other speakers in 
their sorrow at Mr. Murphy's departure, their 
desire that good fortune would attend him, 
and their hope that Ireland would soon see 
him again." 

The address, delivered with so many gratify- 
ing words of recognition, is as follows: 



260 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

ADDRESS 

TO 

Mr. Thomas Edward Murphy, 

FROM THE 

President, Vice Presidents, and Executive Com- 
mittee of the Irish Temperance League. 

Dear Friend: When you so heartily 
accepted our invitation twelve months ago to 
come over and help us, we anticipated your 
arrival in Ireland with feelings of hope and 
confidence. Yet how dimly did we then fore- 
see the glorious triumph of your visit to our 
shores, or the void to be in our hearts when 
the hour should come, as now it has come, to 
gather around you and say farewell. 

We recur with gratitude and delight to the 
great Gospel Temperance meeting of last April, 
when, for fifteen successive days, your fervid 
eloquence stirred thousands in our Ulster Hall, 
and enlisted a very army of converts to our 
noble cause. And we shall long remember the 
earnestness and ability of your advocacy, 
which, inaugurated thus at Belfast, has, during 
the intervening months, been so powerful for 
good throughout the length and breadth of 
our land, urged, as it has been, at nearly two 
hundred meetings held on Irish soil. At these 
meetings your burning denunciations of the 
drink system and your exposure of its terrible 
results have roused the slumbering conscience 
of the people ; your eloquent pleadings have 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 261 

been so aptly blended with Christian modera- 
tion and forbearance as to command universal 
respect; while your singularly winning and 
sympathetic manner has gained for you a sin- 
cere and profound affection. 

By your instrumentality many a drunkard 
has been made sober, many a moderate drinker 
has been turned from his perilous path, happi- 
ness has been restored to many a blighted 
home, and we trust that sounder, stronger, and 
wider sentiments in favor of total abstinence 
and legislative prohibition now pervade the 
community, soon to make itself felt in the 
polling booths and Parliament of our country. 
Results like these, we doubt not, are your 
best reward, your proudest testimonial ; for 
you believe with us, that doing good to man 
from love to God is both the noblest duty and 
the truest glory and pleasure. Yet, now that 
you have finished your great work in Ireland, 
we cannot allow you to depart without offer- 
ing you this record of our high appreciation 
and our deep regard. Much as we have 
admired your wondrous powers on the plat- 
form, we have equally enjoyed your pleasant 
company around our Council Board, observed 
your intelligent interest in our work as a 
League, and learned to honor you for your 
moral worth, and to love you as a high-minded, 
warm-hearted friend. We acknowledge with 
pleasure the cheerful and cordial spirit, the 



262 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

unsparing effort, the untiring energy with 
which you have carried out your several en- 
gagements, and we would express to you not 
only our satisfaction but our thanks for labors 
that have been successful beyond all our anti- 
cipations. 

We can assure you, dear friend, that when 
you leave our shores, you will carry with you the 
best wishes of the Irish Temperance League, 
and the blessing of tens of thousands who have 
been benefited by your visit, who will watch 
your future career with affectionate interest, 
and who will rejoice in every success that may 
attend you in your native land. 

M. R. Dalway, President. 

H. C. Knight, Chairman of Executive 
Committee. 

Lawson A. BROWNE, Treasurer. 

JohnR. Neill, ) tt c , . 

•L V Honorary becretanes. 

John M alone, J 

William Wilkinson, Secretary. 

REPLY. 

To the President, Vice Presidents, and Members 
of the Executive Committee of the Irish Tem- 
perance League. 
MY Dear FRIENDS : Words are inadequate 

to express the deep sense of gratitude I feel 

for the distinguished honor you have bestowed 

on me this evening. 

The address and album — gifts from your 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 263 

hands — I will treasure as priceless mementoes 
of a friendship which I shall recall among the 
happiest of all my life. 

A year ago I came to Ireland a stranger; 
you welcomed me as a friend ; and, in all my 
efforts put forth on behalf of Gospel Temper- 
ance, I have been made to feel, by your Chris- 
tian sympathy and steadfast loyalty, that your 
home was my home, and your country my 
country. 

I recall with profound thankfulness to 
Almighty God the work of the "Blue Ribbon 
Mission," held under your auspices, conducted 
by me in Belfast, to which you have made such 
kindly illusion. Gentlemen, the memory of 
that mission, with its hallowed associations, 
will, I trust, abide with me while life shall last. 

Our successes in provincial towns have not 
been more gratifying to you than they have 
been pleasing to me, and I most heartily con- 
cur with you in your wish that legislative 
measures may speedily follow, and thus make 
permanent the results of our united efforts. 
While reviewing the work as indicated in your 
address, I cannot but feel thankful that it 
was, in the providence of God, with your 
own countryman — my honored father, Francis 
Murphy — that the Blue Ribbon movement 
originated. It has been for many years a sub- 
ject of his profound solicitude and earnest 
prayer; and it gladdens me to think that this 



264 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

high honor done to me is a tribute as well to 
him, and one which I know he will sincerely 
appreciate. 

Gentlemen, I am proud to realize that I have 
won your love and esteem ; and, in the time to 
come, it will be a joy to reflect that I have 
been connected with your great organization — 
an organization which I am here bound to say 
is doing more than any other known to me not 
only to reform the drinking customs of society, 
but also to lead the people from the sin of 
drunkenness into the light and liberty of the 
Gospel ; and, in taking my departure from your 
shores, I do so in the firm conviction that there 
are no gentler, stronger, manlier Christian men 
than the President, Vice Presidents, and Mem- 
bers of the Executive Committee of the Irish 
Temperance League. 

Again, my friends, I thank you, and in the 
fond hope that we may meet again, I say 
"Good-by," and may God be with you. 
Yours faithfully, 

Thomas E. Murphy. 

These resolutions speak for themselves of 
what Mr. Murphy's work had accomplished for 
Ireland and what was the feeling of the Irish 
Temperance League toward him when the cam- 
paign was closed. 

The cordiality of the welcome promised him 
in the address was his in full measure when he 



THE BLUE RIBBON IN ENGLAND. 265 

returned to claim it. This was about two 
years after his farewell. Mr. Murphy was then 
a married man, and was visiting Europe on a 
bridal trip. When he reached Belfast, Ulster 
Hall was packed for two hours before the time 
of his appearance, and crowds were unable to 
get in. The hearty enthusiasm of his reception 
was all that could have been anticipated from 
the warm-heartedness of Irish friends. It 
must have been a great gratification to his 
bride to have seen the evidence of that enthu- 
siasm with her own eyes among people who 
were strangers to her, and in a country 
where he had been left, himself a stranger 
and a young man, almost entirely to his own 
resources. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

" NED " MURPHY'S AMERICAN CAMPAIGN. 

The year 1885 was a busy one with " Ned " 
Murphy. On his return from his wedding trip 
abroad he plunged almost immediately into 
the thick of the fight for the Blue Ribbon 
movement. October of that year found him 
in Cleveland, where his father had begun a 
series of meetings which were taken up and 
continued by the son. 

In describing the movement in Cleveland the 
Leader of that city says of it, after " Ned " 
Murphy's arrival : " The Citizen's Rink, which 
will accommodate about 2000 people, has been 
filled nearly every night, and the .greatest 
interest has been shown, especially in direc- 
tions where temperance work has not always 
had encouragement. The results accomplished 
have been marvelous, exceeding in some re- 
spects the expectations of the most sanguine ; 
2500 have already signed the pledge and put 
on the Blue Ribbon. Of these at least 200 
can be classed as drunkards, and a new light 
and joy has dawned in many desolate homes. 
The churches have been aroused and are ready 
266 



2 5« 




"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 267 

to do all that they can. The teachers are 
enlisted and are bringing their influence to 
bear. Many women have come forward with 
their needed aid. Many prominent men have 
occupied the platform with Mr. Murphy and 
have given him all the indorsement in their 
power. Mr. John D. Rockefeller, who has 
always been an earnest and outspoken advocate 
of temperance, has appeared on three evenings, 
talking with great feeling to the boys, telling 
them of his own early trials, temptations, and 
hardships, and urging them to take a right 
stand, finishing by pinning the Blue Ribbon 
onto the little fellows. Many mill men have 
signed in groups of a dozen or fifteen, and can 
be depended on to help each other in keeping 
the pledge which they have mutually taken." 
The work in Cleveland thus bears all the 
characteristic marks of Mr. Murphy's success- 
ful campaigns, as they have been known all 
over the country at a later day. It was first 
pre-eminently a gospel temperance work ; it 
enthused the churches ; it awakened and inter- 
ested prominent business men, such as Mr. 
Rockefeller, the Standard Oil magnate ; it 
reached the mills and drew the workingmen 
into paths of sobriety ; it rescued many 
drunkards. The work was also typical of 
" Ned " Murphy in that it did not rest content 
with affording opportunities to those who 
needed it to come and be benefited, but in that 



268 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

it carried the work to those districts where the 
need was the very greatest. The paper above 
quoted says in its issue of December 13, 1885 : 
" The Forest City, with all its wealth, beauty, 
and morality, has one blot on its map, known 
as the Hay Market, which is a veritable Five 
Points. This locality is cursed with vile resorts, 
and vice and degradation reign there supreme. 
In strange contrast with its general surround- 
ings there stands at the corner of Hill and 
Commercial Streets a neat building, which 
bears the name of Olivet Chapel. It was 
erected by charitable people that the dwellers 
in that locality of vice might hear the gospel. 
Last evening the building was filled at an early 
hour, the occasion being a series of gospel tem- 
perance meetings under the auspices of the 
Woman's Christian Temperance Union, to be 
conducted by the noted young temperance 
evangelist, Mr. Thomas Edward Murphy. 
The audience was composed mainly of adults, 
women predominating, while the front seats 
were occupied by children. In one corner of 
the room there was a piano presided over by 
a young lady, and an excellent choir rendered 
gospel hymns. Mr. Murphy talked to his rather 
tough audience in his characteristic pleasant 
manner, and requested them to preserve good 
order, which they did. He chose his text from 
the second verse of the fifty-fifth chapter of 
Isaiah : ' Wherefore spend ye your money for 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 269 

that which is not bread, and your labor for that 
which satisfieth not? ' In commenting on the 
verse Mr. Murphy said: 'If the prophet had 
been speaking to a crowd of drinking men he 
could not have spoken better, for the man who 
drinks spends his money for that which is not 
bread, for that which can never satisfy him. 
It is the most unsatisfactory way of spending 
money that any man can find.' " 

The campaign in the disreputable Hay 
Market district of Cleveland was continued on 
the lines on which it was begun until the con- 
verts and pledge signers were numbered by 
the hundreds. Mr. Murphy was, as a rule, 
able to control his audience, rough and tough 
as they were in character, but sometimes inci- 
dents not altogether pleasant occurred. In 
speaking in a hall in this locality one night, 
someone managed to turn out the gas. A 
great hubbub followed. Mr. Murphy himself 
thought little of it. But Mrs. Murphy, who 
was new to the possibilities of temperance 
campaigning, had not yet attained to his 
equanimity, and naturally enough his first 
thought, when there was light again to see 
with, was of her. He found her under the 
piano with her diamond earrings, which she 
had thoughtlessly worn there, in her mouth. 
She herself laughs at the incident now, as well 
as he, but it must have been one of many 
strange experiences for a bride who had lived 



270 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

in the social surroundings which had been 
hers. 

It was indeed a life of constant travel, of 
living in trunks, here to-day and there to- 
morrow, and nowhere very long. As one 
looks over the itinerary of this period in the 
life of the newly married couple, one is im- 
pressed by what it must have meant to them 
to be constantly moving. Now it is Youngs- 
town, O., and then it is Mansfield ; next it is 
Lockport, N. Y., and then Ashtabula, O. ; soon 
it is Sharon, Pa., and Greenville, Pa., with a re- 
turn to East Liverpool, O.; Bucyrus, O., is fol- 
lowed by Franklin, Ind., then, after Green- 
ville, O., we find him speaking in Cincinnati, 
and then in Portsmouth, and later in Vincennes 
and Evansville, Ind. It was the same story of 
enthusiasm wherever he appeared. For ex- 
ample, we find the following in the Cincinnati 
Commercial Gazette of February 2, 1887: 
" Last night it was very slippery on the streets 
and it took a first class tobogganer to walk as 
one should to keep out of the hospital. The 
granite paved streets were useless as highways, 
and the asphalt of Race Street glistened in the 
lamplight like a Montreal toboggan slide. 
But the slippery streets and icy sidewalks 
seemed to have little effect in deterring people 
from attending the Murphy meeting at the 
Ninth Street Baptist Church. The crowd last 
night showed neither a decreasing number, 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 271 

nor a diminution in interest and enthusiasm 
A reporter who skated to the church on his 
feet expected to find a waste of deserted pews. 
He was mistaken. The pews were all full — so 
full that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to 
make them sign a pledge to take no more." 

This breezy bit of description is typical of 
the spirit which characterized Mr. Murphy's 
campaign in all the places which he visited at 
this time, principally in Ohio and Indiana. 
The Indianapolis News of Febuary 7, 1888, 
contains a graphic pen picture of the Blue 
Ribbon movement in southern Indiana, with a 
special reference to the campaign in Jefferson- 
ville. Says the Neivs : 

" This apostle of cold water has now swept 
over quite a number of the larger Indiana 
towns and left behind him his train of fol- 
lowers. Many of them perhaps did not need 
the blue badge ; some others who needed it 
will not perhaps keep it very long ; but a sub- 
stantial number who needed it will keep it and 
be benefited. The secret of Murphy's success? 
He has spoken here now for two weeks, and 
during that time has not called anyone a hard 
name, but has appealed to the moral and finan- 
cial sense of individuals. The result has been 
so far about 3000 pledges and a general era of 
good feeling. 

" The meetings have been simply wonderful. 
From the very first the large hall was packed. 



2? 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

People stood even halfway down the stairway, 
imagining that they could hear something. 
There was the enthusiasm of numbers, and 
above all the strong, attractive personality of 
the speaker. He is a medium-sized young 
man of say twenty-eight, looks like ' one of 
the boys,' keen dark eyes, dark mustache and 
hair, nose Roman. With him is his wife, the 
daughter of a Pittsburg millionaire, a sweet little 
woman, who sits near the stage while he speaks. 
His talk is simple, straightforward, and, there- 
fore, seems original. It takes his audience 
by storm, for his audience understands every 
word he says, and every word comes with the 
force of novelty, although it is probably the 
same as is used every day on the street. He is 
an actor of no mean power, and his audience 
sees before it the lifelike pictures of the char- 
acters he presents. Sometimes he convulses 
his hearers with his true comicality and Hiber- 
nian humor; again he moves them to fears with 
a powerful pathos, which is always true to life, 
and which, therefore, clinches his' argument. 

" One of these meetings is a striking picture. 
From a back seat a good survey can be taken. 
We are among a crowd of young fellows who, 
like ourselves, have come l to see the fun.' Mur- 
phy has just ended a short talk, and Mrs. Brook- 
bank — one of the finest voices in Indiana — is 
singing the ' Ninety and Nine.' There is deep 
silence over the great assembly, then tumultu- 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 273 

ous applause — for this is not by any means a 
strictly religious meeting, and it is impossible 
to restrain the enthusiasm. Before it fairly 
ends, Murphy calls for signers to the pledge, 
and, while the choir sings, a solitary figure 
goes down the aisle. The example is catch- 
ing. One, two, three, four. It is useless to 
count — a regular stream of men is moving 
up. My neighbor, a handsome young fel- 
low, laughing at the ribbonites and protest- 
ing only a few moments ago that he would 
never wear such a thing, starts up suddenly. 
His eyes are now serious. ' Where are you 
going?' asks one of his companions. 'Going 
to put on the Blue Ribbon,' he answers, and 
starts to press through the dense mass of 
humanity. This is the signal for a regular 
stampede. Five or six young fellows gaze at 
each other in astonishment at the desertion of 
their comrade ; then one of them cries out : 
'Come on!' and they also press through the 
crowded aisles toward the stage. 

" The scene is now one of great excitement 
and enthusiasm. The audience is upon its feet, 
some joining the choir in singing, some few 
chaffing the new converts good naturedly, 
others crying out ' Amen,' in good old Metho- 
dist fashion. Men and women are pressing 
here and there urging others to come forward. 
The whole audience is swaying as if swept by 
a storm. Still the signers press up the aisle, 



274 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

young men, old men, women, children, people 
of prominence, or of no prominence. All have 
gone wild on total abstinence. Above it all 
the voice of the speaker rings out in trumpet- 
like tones : 'Come on!' And they do come on. 

" What is it now ? Every head is turned to 
the center aisle ; a moment's silence falls ; then 
tumultuous clapping of hands, loud shouts of 
triumph, completely engulfing the singing. 
One of the best men of the district is walking 
up to sign. Hands are outstretched to him 
in welcome, and behind him follows another 
stream of signers urged by his example, some 
with eyes bashfully cast down, and others, 
looking you full in the face with smiling confi- 
dence. Thus the thing goes on for an hour or 
more — would perhaps go on all night if ' Ned ' 
Murphy did not adjourn the meeting. It is 
w T onderful, this carrying away of an audience 
of a thousand people, many of them opposed 
to signing any pledge ; and not the least won- 
derful part of it is the good feeling which pre- 
vails between the pros and the cons. 

" There has never been such a temperance 
boom known in this city. The meeting was 
almost dangerously crowded both afternoon 
and night yesterday, while the total pledges 
signed amounted to about 3000. Among 
yesterday's signers was Colonel James Keigwin, 
besides a number of well known citizens. The 
thing is simply a tremendous furore. Instead 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 275 

of closing to-day the meetings will now continue 
another week. Money for the expenses was 
raised from last night's audience inside of five 
minutes. The city has gone wild upon the 
subject of total abstinence." 

This picture of Murphy is as true to-day, 
almost, as when it was drawn. There may not 
be perhaps quite the intensity of excitement in 
a meeting of to-day as in this which is so 
graphically described by this Indiana observer, 
" Ned " Murphy himself may perhaps be a little 
more conservative than he was then, but in 
other respects there has been hardly any recog- 
nizable change in manner or method. 

As has been said Mr. Murphy at this time 
was a constant traveler, and so there is nothing 
surprising in making a sudden trip from 
South Indiana to Pittsburg, the cradle, so to 
speak, of the Blue Ribbon movement, where 
Francis Murphy first attained a national repu- 
tation. It was in a speech at Pittsburg that 
an incident occurred which illustrates one side 
of " Ned " Murphy's character, a certain rash- 
ness and impetuosity in speaking out his con- 
victions without stopping to think how critics 
may view them, which raises him in popular 
estimation whether one entirely agrees with 
him or not. The incident in question is thus 
related in the Pittsburg Leader : 

" The Bijou Theater was last night the scene 
of the first meeting of the reorganized Murphy 



276 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Gospel Temperance Union. The house was 
crowded in all parts. Thomas E. Murphy 
was assisted by J. R. Hunter, Professor 
Rinehart, and a number of other prominent 
workers, who made short addresses. When 
' Ned ' Murphy himself came to speak there 
was a sensation. He started off something 
after this fashion : ' There are lots of people 
who take no stock in drinking men's promises 
of reform. There are lots of drinking men 
who take no stock in what such people say; 
so honors are easy. Talk meanly about peo- 
ple and they will talk meanly about you. 
These people say that the drunkard is not a 
true penitent. I know better, for I have seen 
what his struggles are. And I say right here 
that I would rather be a drunkard and go 
down to a drunkard's grave with that inscribed 
on my tombstone, than be a sneaking spy to 
persecute old women and cripples.' Here 
there arose a shout that far exceeded the 
cheer which greeted a like expression of feel- 
ing in St. James' Church a week ago. Mr. 
Murphy waved his hand for silence and went 
on : ' Now, understand me. I believe in the 
proper enforcement of the law, and am not in 
league with anarchism. But some poor unfor- 
tunate woman gets a few tobies and a few 
sticks of candy together out on Penn Avenue, 
that she may sell them and keep body and soul 
together, and some fellow buys a couple of 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 277 

tobies and goes off and prosecutes her. Such 
a man' — (the cheers broke out again and 
drowned the sound of the speaker's voice). 
Such a scene has Seldom, if ever, been wit- 
nessed in that theater. The people applauded, 
stamped and cheered, and waved their hand- 
kerchiefs and hats. Mr. Murphy went down 
close to the footlights. ' Hear me ! ' he cried, 
raising his voice until it rose high above the 
noise the audience was making. 'Hear me, — 
I say it advisedly — such a man is not worthy 
of the name of man ! ' He was cheered again 
and again, and it was some time before the 
audience give him a chance to proceed ; the 
rest of his speech was in support of the theory 
of the Murphy movement. He held that the 
law was good, but that it restrains only, and is 
not regenerative. He preached the doctrine 
of kindness, consideration, and charity for all 
men. At the conclusion of his speech the 
pledge signing began, and continued for 
almost an hour. In all about 300 persons put 
on the Blue Ribbon. They were chiefly 
men." 

Of course the matter referred to by Mr. 
Murphy concerned certain prosecutions of a 
local law and order league. We are not con- 
cerned here with the merits of those prosecu- 
tions or with the good policy of the strong 
ground taken by Mr. Murphy. But whether 
he was right or wrong in his attitude, it was 



278 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

very evident that he had his audience with him, 
that he expressed the popular feeling. The 
incident is, therefore, a good illustration of how 
closely he is in touch with popular currents, 
how quick he is to " size up " a situation, which 
accounts in large part for his hold on the 
popular heart. 

It was about this time that Mr. Murphy con- 
ducted a campaign in Louisville, one incident 
of which, reported in the Louisville Times, is 
worthy of notice, as it shows the sort of men 
whom Murphy reached. The Times says: 
" The switchmen employed in the Air Line 
yards presented Evangelist Murphy with a 
purse of $50 Saturday night as a testimonial. 
Mr. Murphy immediately turned the money 
over to the W. C. T. U., to be used in defray- 
ing the expenses incident to holding the meet- 
ings. A like sum will, so we are told, be sent 
to Mr. Murphy to-day by the higher officials 
of the road, who are very much delighted over 
the changed state of affairs. The crowds at- 
tending the meetings are so great that the 
large auditorium of the Opera House cannot 
hold them." 

It is no wonder that after four years of life 
at so high a tension and under such a constant 
strain that Mr. Murphy's health should have 
become impaired. He has never learned the 
art of sparing himself. A veteran among the 
Boston reporters, a man who has reported 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 279 

Wendell Phillips, John B. Gough, and all the 
other men of recent years who have made 
reputations on the platform, told " Ned " 
Murphy that he showed the least care of him- 
self of any speaker that he had ever heard ; 
that, to use the reporter's own words, he was 
guilty of " excessive physical dissipation on 
the platform." 

This is the simple truth picturesquely put. 
It is a standing wonder to many, in every town 
where he holds campaigns, that he can keep the 
pace he sets night after night for weeks and 
not break down ; for it is the pace that kills. 
Early in the spring of 1889 the pace did prove 
too much for him and he did break down. He 
was obliged to retire from the platform, and 
for two years he was under the doctor's care. 
During this time he had a taste, for the only time 
in his life, of what it means to live the ordinary 
life of an ordinary man, with ordinary business 
cares in place of the anxieties of the platform, 
and with a home and the pleasures of home 
life in place of living in a trunk, and lodging in 
a succession of hotels. It was an experience 
he thoroughly enjoyed while it lasted. He 
proved to be a success both as a business man 
and as a member of an attractive social circle 
in a large city. He was the treasurer and 
manager of the Amytiville Gas and Coal Com- 
pany of Pittsburg. His residence, while not 
pretentious, was an exceedingly pleasant, lawn- 



280 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

fronted house in the vicinity of that of his 
father-in-law, Captain Vandergrift. 

But his health did not improve as much from 
a life of quiet as had been hoped. When he 
had once become thoroughly rested he seemed 
to need the stimulus of platform excitement. 
At any rate that was the theory of Mrs. Mur- 
phy. The possible invigorating effect of a 
trip to the Pacific Coast was proposed, and on 
the way he stopped off at Sedalia for a short 
campaign. This short campaign grew into one 
of weeks. Rest had not deprived " Ned " 
Murphy of his old power to stir and move. 
Back in the harness he was the same man that 
he had been before he put it off. His health 
was better also. It was his natural life, this 
life that would kill most men, and with vitality 
restored and the danger of physical exhaustion 
removed through his long respite, he found 
the career again for which nature, training, and 
inborn aptitude alike intended him. 

From Sedalia he continued his trip to the 
Pacific Coast, where he held a number of suc- 
cessful campaigns, sometimes in connection 
with his father, but oftener alone. Seattle, 
Tacoma, Port Townsend, and Oakland were 
among the more prominent places visited. 

The campaign at Whatcom is, perhaps, as 
typical as any of his work on the Pacific Coast. 
It is thus described in the Seattle Post-Intelli- 
gencer : " ' Whatcom has never been so pro- 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 281 

foundly moved in all its history as in these 
Murphy meetings,' said Mayor Jenkins on 
Tuesday evening as he began his address be- 
fore the throng which packed the hall in the 
Bass block. This is the testimony of everyone 
in the city. Thus far over 1500 signed the 
pledge and put on the Blue Ribbon. Among 
them are the sheriff, the mayor, the county 
attorney, the city attorney, the city clerk, two 
of the councilmen-elect, editors and reporters, 
bankers, merchants, doctors, and lawyers. 
Many of the hardest drinkers in Whatcom 
now sport the Blue Ribbon, and are working 
hard to induce their old associates to join the 
movement." In Tacoma, where Mr. Murphy 
secured a total of 10,000 pledge signers, a 
local paper notes that " among those whom 
Mr. Murphy has converted to gospel tem- 
perance reform is Charlie Hawkins, the well- 
known sporting man, whose skill in mixing a 
cocktail has become a local pride." 

At Port Townsend, where there is a garrison 
of the regular army, the work was successful 
among the soldiers. As a local paper says, 
" When one of the boys from the Fort would 
walk up to the pledge-table Lieutenant Kim- 
ball would shout out in joy. ' Hold the fort ' 
was sung at the close of the meeting." 

The Lieutenant Kimball here referred to 
is Lieutenant W. A. Kimball, whose influence 
once given to Murphy's side was of the greatest 



282 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

possible value, not only among the soldiers of 
the army post, but among the citizens generally, 
by whom he was greatly liked. Having enlisted 
in the war for temperance Lieutenant Kimball 
proved to be a very persevering and enthusi- 
astic soldier, who could not do too much to 
further the movement. The story of how he 
came to put on the Blue Ribbon is an interest- 
ing one, as showing how small an incident may 
often prove of great influence in determining a 
decision. Lieutenant Kimball was a man who 
used intoxicants freely, so freely, he himself 
would say now, as to have been in danger of 
great excess. The habit was growing upon 
him. At the request of his wife he accom- 
panied her to one of the Murphy meetings. 
In his absence his two children, Totsy and 
Willie, discussed, as they were being put to 
bed by their nurse, what a temperance meeting 
might be, to which their parents had gone. 
The nurse explained that a temperance meet- 
ing was a meeting where a man " was going to 
tell people that they ought not to get drunk." 
Totsy remarked to Willie that if that were so, 
their mother would be sure to turn to their 
father and say to him when she heard the 
man's remark: " Now, Will, do you hear 
that?" Naturally enough the nurse repeated 
the story in all its childish simplicity, and the 
question went straight to the father's heart and 
he could not rid himself of it. The result was 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 283 

that he went to another Murphy meeting with 
his wife and signed the pledge. His example 
was followed by some of the other officers. 
At the centennial celebration of the discovery 
of the Columbia River at Portland, Lieutenant 
Kimball was received on board the flagship 
of the Pacific squadron as a leading represent- 
ative of the army. When the commander 
was about to open a bottle of champagne in 
his honor he pointed to his Blue Ribbon and 
said that he had signed the pledge. The com- 
mander expressed his congratulations on his 
taking so manly a step, and out of respect for 
him "no intoxicating liquors were served during 
his visit. This little incident has perhaps 
served the purpose of showing the respect ac- 
corded to the Blue Ribbon movement and its 
representatives on the Pacific Coast, in circles 
where one would least expect to find such 
respect. 

While in Port Townsend " Ned " Murphy 
was the means of saving another man who had 
fallen far toward the gutter. His name was Lin- 
coln Brooks. He attended one of the meetings 
and became interested and, after the meeting, 
had a long personal talk with Mr. Murphy. In 
the course of this talk there came out one of 
those sad histories of which so many have been 
told to Mr. Murphy. Formerly Lincoln Brooks 
had been a wealthy business man in San Fran- 
cisco. Reverses had come, and, as in the case 






284 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

of so many others similarly circumstanced, 
Mr. Brooks had taken to stimulants to over- 
come his downheartedness — had fallen into the 
habit of " bracing up " on whisky. Of course 
the habit grew upon him, as it is almost sure 
to when acquired in that way. The last time 
in the world for resorting to stimulants is the 
time when a man is " down on his luck." As 
Murphy himself puts it : " Men drink to drown 
sorrows but find that their sorrows can swim/' 
As with others so with Brooks. At the time 
when Murphy came in contact with him his 
average, according to his own confession, was 
about twenty-five glasses of whisky a day. 
In Oakland he had a wife and two boys whom 
he cherished, despite his degradation, with the 
warmest affection. For their sake he implored 
Murphy to find some way of rescue for him 
and to help him to redeem the past. It goes 
without saying that Murphy brought every 
possible influence to bear upon him to encour- 
age him to take the pledge and to assert his 
manhood, and Mr. Brooks did take the pledge 
and did assert his manhood. He was a man of 
grit, as Murphy discovered from the fact that, 
when his misfortunes first reduced him to 
poverty, he was willing to take the first work 
that came to hand, and was for a time a porter 
in a hotel. As Murphy puts it, he had " a little 
of God's gold " left in him. At the time of 
their interview Mr, Brooks had, despite the 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 285 

drawback of his habits, risen to be a book- 
keeper in a large wholesale house. 

When Mr. Murphy left Port Townsend he 
entertained strong hopes of Mr. Brooks's per- 
manent reformation. Later he conducted a 
campaign in Oakland, where Mrs. Brooks was 
living. He called upon her with his wife and 
told her the story of her husband's resolution 
to give up drinking and be a man again. She 
was naturally incredulous. Finally, as the re- 
sult of Mr. Murphy's pleadings, she yielded so 
far as to permit her boys to go on to Port 
Townsend and visit their father. They came 
back to their mother delighted with the change 
in him, and her faith in him was thus renewed. 
Eventually the family was reunited and a 
happy home was insured in place of the one 
which had been wrecked by the husband's 
drinking habits. 

The campaign in Oakland was similar in 
its characteristics to the other campaigns in 
the West. The Oakland Tribune says of the 
movement after it was well under way : " The 
interest in these meetings, instead of growing 
less, is steadily increasing, and last evening the 
spacious tent where they are held was more 
than crowded. Every available seat was taken 
early in the evening, and long before the ex- 
ercises were opened the aisles and sides of the 
tent were lined with people. The audience 
was composed of all sorts and conditions of 



286 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

men — prominent citizens who have helped to 
govern the city, merchants and their wives, 
laborers, many of the poorest class, and not a 
few who know from experience what it is to 
pass a night in a cell. Side by side they walked 
up to the table at the conclusion of Mr. 
Murphy's address, signed the pledge, and put 
on the Blue Ribbon In all there was more 
than one hundred. Among the signers were 
several men who have scarcely been known to 
be free from the smell of liquor." 

It is a far cry from the extreme West to 
the center of conservative New England. But 
that was the change which Mr. Murphy made 
in the scene of his campaigns late in the fall 
of 1892. It was an open question with many 
of his friends and well wishers whether the 
methods which were adapted to Western life 
would prove equally effective in the East. 

Then " Ned " Murphy entered upon his New 
England campaign without any special call. 
Speaking broadly, temperance sentiment there 
at the time may be described as unaggressive, 
and even as lethargic. There were no great 
organizations to extend a hand of welcome 
to the champion of the Blue Ribbon, or to 
promise him the backing and influence of 
numbers and moral support. He made his 
own way. His success was great. The total 
number of pledge signers he secured in 
Connecticut in about a year reached 80,000. 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 287 

This army of Blue Ribbon wearers is thus dis- 
tributed among the principal cities of the 
State: New Haven, 12,000; Hartford, 12,000; 
Waterbury, 10,000; Meriden, 6000 ; New 
Britain, 5000; Willimantic, 2500; Middle- 
town, 3000; Winsted, 1500. The remaining 
thousands are distributed among the smaller 
towns, especially the manufacturing places, 
which were visited en route, sometimes only 
for a single night. 

Mr. Murphy's Connecticut campaign was 
opened in New Haven. The way that he hap- 
pened to begin there was largely the result of 
chance. A Blue Ribbon friend of his, one of 
his father's Pittsburg converts, had established 
himself in business in New Haven, and on a 
visit to this friend the field for temperance 
work was brought to " Ned " Murphy's atten- 
tion. He saw that the possible harvest was 
great while the laborers were few, and he 
determined to try what could be done toward 
infusing life and energy into what looked like 
a moribund cause. 

The beginning was hard sledding. As a 
correspondent of the Hartford Post wrote to 
that paper from New Haven two or three 
weeks after the campaign was in full operation, 
" Mr. Murphy was a stranger to our people 
when he began his work in the English mission 
hall. At first his audiences, numbering 50 to 
75 people, were of the apparently hopeless, 



2 88 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

gospel-hardened class, but after a while others 
began to attend. Among those who attended 
were many for whose special benefit the meet- 
ings were conducted, old toughs whose faces 
were familiar to the police officials, and whose 
names were recorded more than once on the 
county jail register. As the newspapers re- 
ported the meetings the interest increased, 
until the nightly audiences outgrew the capa- 
city of the hall, which holds about 600 people. 
Meanwhile several hundred intemperate men, 
some of them men who had touched depths of 
degradation, had signed the pledge and were 
keeping it, to the great joy of their wives and 
children, who spread abroad the glad news of 
their redemption. In this way, too, public 
interest was stimulated, and there was a con- 
sequent increase of attendance at the meetings. 
Special meetings were held at the Opera House, 
which proved not to be large enough to hold the 
throngs wishing to hear Mr. Murphy. At the 
Grand Opera House on Sunday night, after 
3500 people had been admitted, the doors were 
closed by order of the fire marshal. At a con- 
servative estimate 5000 went away unable to 
gain admission. For a time they blocked the 
street, and it was very difficult to convince them 
that there was no chance of hearing Mr. Murphy 
that night. Their dispersal caused the police 
no small amount of trouble. Then Calvary 
Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 289 

the city, was thrown open every night in the 
week, and was on each occasion thronged to 
the doors. Besides these nightly services Mr. 
Murphy held noonday meetings at various 
manufacturing establishments, addressing from 
300 to 800 men for fifteen minutes, and secur- 
ing scores of signers to the pledge. He also 
obtained a foothold among the Yale students, 
many of whom took to wearing the Blue 
Ribbon as a symbol of their temperance pledge 
as well as of their university. One of the most 
enthusiastic of the meetings was the one at 
which Mr. Murphy met the students of Yale 
Theological Seminary in Marquand Chapel. 
He made so deep an impression that scores of 
these future ministers took the pledge. The 
involuntary denizens of the county jail were 
not neglected, and many of them have signed 
the pledge as the result of Mr. Murphy's Sun- 
day talk." 

The largest of the meetings held for work- 
ingmen was that held at the shops of the New 
York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. 
There were 800 railroad men present, and the 
demand for pledge cards was so great that 
Mr. Murphy's supply was exhausted in a few 
minutes. Mr. Murphy pleased his audience so 
well that they extended a cordial invitation to 
him to address them again. 

It was in New Haven that Mr. Murphy had 
an experience which is believed to be unique 



290 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

even for him. It is thus described in the 
New Haven Union : 

" Something that never happened before 
in New Haven happened last night, when 
Thomas E. Murphy, the temperance advocate, 
spoke between the footlights and the curtain 
in the New Haven Opera House. It was a 
novel idea of Manager Bunnell's, who has been 
one of ' Ned's' most enthusiastic backers. He 
wanted these people, who, perhaps, would go 
neither to a church, nor to English Hall, nor 
even to a temperance rally in the new Grand, 
to hear the temperance reformer. The genial 
manager himself sat in a box and greatly 
enjoyed the departure for which he was re- 
sponsible. ' Wife for Wife,' was on the bill, 
and, when the curtain fell on the scene at the 
close of the second act in which the injured 
husband is shot by his false friend, and Mr. 
Murphy was to appear, many started up to go 
out to steady their nerves for the duel scene 
in the next act. ' I thought Mr. Murphy was 
going to be here,' said a man with a gray 
mustache who had left his seat in the parquet, 
' I came down to hear Murphy.' A young 
man assured him that Bunnell and Murphy 
would keep their word. ' Well, let's go out 
and get a drink,' said the man, and he and his 
friend started again to go out. When the cur- 
tain dropped on the duel scene there was a 
commotion in the gallery. The young men 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 29I 

were going out to smoke a cigarette or for 
something else. But E. G. Morton appeared, 
and in his felicitous way said, ' Mr. Murphy 
is here.' So the young men did not go out. 
Mr. Murphy then appeared and the audience 
applauded. He surveyed the pit, and, appar- 
ently embarrassed, said something about it 
being unnecessary to talk on temperance to 
so patriotic an audience. Then he looked up 
into the galleries and, getting into his reform 
harness, he spoke with characteristic vigor and 
appeared to be Murphy himself again. He 
talked about his favorite theme of the home, 
and when he said that the men who had fallen 
down to the bottom were the very men to be 
lifted up, there was loud applause. Then he 
told the story of the miners who stopped the 
play to hear a baby cry because it reminded 
them of their innocent babyhood, and a very 
effective story it proved. This was the close, 
and Mr. Murphy then walked off the stage 
saying : ' I am to speak here again for five 
minutes to-morrow night.' This was received 
most enthusiastically. The audience had evi- 
dently had far from enough." 

Of course such an incident as this attracted 
the attention of people outside of New Haven, 
and, as might have been expected, the " funny 
man " of the press did not let it go by unim- 
proved. Here is one of his efforts in the Provi- 
dence Journal : " Murphy, the noted temper- 



292 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

ance agitator, went to a New Haven theater the 
other evening and delivered brief addresses 
between the acts of the play. It must have 
interested the audience much more than the 
orchestra could have done." This, by the 
way, is not such an inapt comparison after 
all. If any man in America is a whole orches- 
tra in himself that man is Thomas Edward 
Murphy. 

From talking on a theater stage between the 
acts of the play to talking in one of the most 
conservative Congregational Churches of a 
most conservative city like New Haven would 
be quite a step for the average man to take. 
But in the experience of " Ned " Murphy there 
is nothing very extraordinary about it. Not 
long after his appearance behind the footlights 
he was invited to address the congregation of 
the United Church, one of whose earlier pas- 
tors was the second Jonathan Edwards, and 
whose present pastor is the Rev. Dr. Munger, 
the well-known writer as well as preacher. It 
is said that some of his offhand comments on 
this occasion actually drew applause from an 
audience as little likely to indulge in such a 
demonstration in such a place as would be the 
congregation of the Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix of 
New York. 

The campaign in Meriden, one of the bus- 
tling manufacturing cities of Connecticut, fol- 
lowed the campaign in New Haven. If a 



''NED'* MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 293 

local clergyman is to be believed Meriden has 
more than its fair share of those positive 
characters of decided views, who will not go 
even a short way with you unless you will go 
all the way with them. So it came about that 
it was Mr. Murphy's fortune in Meriden to be 
" smoked out," if he will pardon the pun. In 
other words, while he was attempting to in- 
sist on the virtue of total abstinence, he was 
forced to expound his views on the subject of 
tobacco, which was of course a subject entirely 
foreign to Mr. Murphy's purpose, and one 
which if discussed at length could only prove 
a stumbling-block in the way of harmonious 
action. The smoking habit, which had been, 
so to speak, smoldering for some time, came to 
a head at a large rally in the town hall. A 
local paper says that " Mrs. Holmes, President 
of the W. C. T. U., being asked to deliver an 
address, stated that she went farther than 
Mr. Murphy, and desired to abolish smoking 
as well as drinking, especially the cigarette 
habit." Mr. Murphy himself has been a 
smoker off and on for a great many years, al- 
though it may be truthfully said that he has 
been throughout a moderate smoker. While 
he is not given to thrusting the habit offen- 
sively into the face of the general public and 
courting criticism, on the other hand he does 
not sneak away to enjoy his cigar in some back 
room and behind closed doors. He would not 



294 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

probably take the position of Spurgeon, who 
once declared to his congregation that he 
smoked " to the glory of God." Yet, when 
" called down " in an offensive way before a 
large audience on one occasion, and asked 
pointblank whether he smoked, he replied : 
" That is my business." That sort of retort 
and assertion of his liberty might do where the 
interrogator was a man, but would be most 
discourteous to a woman, as in the Meriden in- 
stance. Mr. Murphy answered the criticism 
and explained his position in the following 
way, as reported in the Meriden Record : 

" I don't believe in injecting these side issues 
into temperance reform on gospel lines. Now 
as to the tobacco question: The cigarette 
habit is undoubtedly a very pernicious one. 
It is thoroughly bad. Indeed I am frank to 
confess that I wish there was no such thing as 
smoking at all. Yet if a man smokes a cigar 
it is no crime against his manhood, and if, be- 
ing a tobacco user, he smokes his pipe in his 
own home, by all means let him do so. A man 
is pretty safe when he is in his own home, 
and a comparatively harmless habit like pipe 
smoking, which keeps him there, is not to be 
denounced. Yes, if in establishing a gospel 
temperance mission here you want to be suc- 
cessful, you will provide a room where the men 
can smoke while they read the papers. 

" Why are the Catholic T. A. B. societies so 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 295 

successful ? Because they live on the earth 
and not in the sky, and because they are in 
dead earnest. They have pleasant rooms, 
where the members may smoke if they want 
to ; and they have other rooms, where the 
members may invite their sisters and their 
sweethearts and have a good sociable time. 
If a dollar is needed for the expenses they go 
down into their pockets, and find it, and bring 
it out. 

" I tell you the Catholics put us Protestants 
to shame in the practical character of their 
work. The Catholic gets out to five o'clock 
mass ; show me a Protestant who would get up 
at that hour to attend church. Then they 
stand by the priest and work with him. Does 
the Protestant stand by his pastor? How 
many of you go to your pastor and say : i That 
was a fine sermon, and I am with you in every 
word that you said.' I tell you if you were as 
ready to help your pastors as you have been 
to aid me in my work here, your churches 
would have a perpetual revival. The trouble 
is that the people are cold. They pack ice all 
around their pastor, and then abuse him because 
he doesn't perspire. For my own part I am 
for the preachers, as I ought to be. If I have 
had a hearing before the people of this country 
it is because the preachers have stood by me." 

It was in Meriden also that a reporter was 
unusually successful in catching a number of 



296 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Mr. Murphy's aphorisms. These are from the 
Meriden Republican : 

" Any movement that makes mother happy 
is heaven-born and God-sent." 

" Some people like to get on the north side 
of folks. I want to get on the south side, 
where all is warmth and comfort." 

" A kind word is a little thing. So is a wasp ; 
but when it gets its business end to work, it 
enlivens things." 

" Some people never think to say a good 
word for a man until he is dead. Then they 
dump a lot of flowers upon his grave and say : 
' Here, smell these ! ' " 

" So long as you are able to foot the bills 
they will call you ' a good fellow.' But when 
your last dime is spent they will tell you, you 
are ' a good fellow, but a fool.' " 

" If you want to know the value of a dollar, 
try to borrow one and you'll see how few of 
them there are in town." 

" God bless the women ! there was never 
any battle fought to a successful issue without 
the prayers of women." 

" God never did anything for a man that the 
man could do for himself." 

" It is not until after you have fed a hungry 
man that you can preach to him." 

" Lots of people stand around and watch a 
new movement. If it proves successful, they 
get in and ride ; if not, they shake hands with 



"JV£D" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 297 

themselves on the sidewalks and say with a 
superior air : 'I told you so ! ' : 

It was again in Meriden that an interesting 
thing happened, thus itemized in a local paper : 
" At their meeting last night the Painters' 
Union voted to give ten dollars toward the 
proposed Gospel Temperance rooms, as many 
of their members have donned the Blue Ribbon, 
and the Union strongly favors the good cause." 
It is interesting to note byway of contrast that 
when a similar plan was broached in New 
Haven the secretary of the committee brought 
it to the attention of the bankers of the city, 
and received promises of practical support from 
the following, the list given in the Leader : 
George A. Butler, President of the National 
Tradesman's Bank ; A. D. Osborn, President of 
the Second National Bank ; Pierce M. Welch, 
President of the First National Bank ; C. S. 
Leete, President of the Mechanics' Bank ; 
C. S. Mersick, President of the Merchants' 
National Bank ; Wilbur F. Day, President of 
the New Haven National Bank. These two 
statements placed side by side, the list of bank 
presidents in New Haven who endorsed the 
Murphy method and the action of the Painters' 
Union in Meriden giving to it similar endorse- 
ment, illustrate the way in which the Blue 
Ribbon movement reaches people of very dif- 
ferent views and conditions in life, and interests 
them all in a common cause. Thus Mr. Mur- 



290 THE BLUE RIBBON- 

phy's work aids greatly in creating that general 
community of interest which is the best of all 
guarantees of good citizenship. 

When Mr. Murphy had finished his work in 
Meriden he began a campaign in Hartford. 
By this time he needed no introduction to a 
Connecticut audience, for he was known by 
name at least all over the State. The move- 
ment in Hartford had been thoroughly organ- 
ized in advance. In anticipation of his coming 
the Hartford Post said editorially : " Hartford is 
probably on the eve of the greatest temperance 
revival it has ever had. Mr. Murphy's success 
in neighboring cities has been phenomenal. 
He is undoubtedly without a peer for this kind 
of work. Oratory, earnestness, and experi- 
ence will not account for his enormous power 
— he has a symmetrical combination of gifts 
characteristic of true evangelists. It will be a 
novel and truly Christian sight to see all sects, 
all classes, working together in a spirit of 
brotherly love to better individuals and thereby 
help the community. We do not here pro- 
pose to discuss all the phases of such popular 
demonstrations as Mr. Murphy has awakened 
elsewhere. To the people of Hartford we say: 
Give him royal welcome ; lend your presence; 
co-operate to the extent of your means and 
ability ; do not be afraid of seeming too altru- 
istic if you wear the Blue Ribbon." 

The spirit of this anticipatory exhortation 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 299 

characterized the reception on that Sunday in 
February, 1893, when Mr. Murphy opened his 
campaign in the Capital of Connecticut. The 
Hartford Conrant, one of the oldest papers in 
the United States, and one of the most con- 
servative, known everywhere for its character 
and ability and for its freedom from gush, thus 
describes Mr. Murphy's reception : 

" Hartford has met Thomas E. Murphy, the 
temperance orator, and met him strong. 
Twenty-five hundred of the men of the city 
went to see him yesterday afternoon, and a 
good many more would like to have gone but 
didn't have the chance, because Procter's Opera 
House wasn't large enough. Twenty-five hun- 
dred and more of the men, women, and children 
of the city met him in the evening, and many 
hundreds wanted to, but again couldn't, and 
again because the Opera House can't hold any 
more than can get into it. 'To-day's two 
audiences were the most responsive I have ad- 
dressed in Connecticut,' said Mr. Murphy as he 
talked over the day with the Conrant reporter 
last night. He had been told that the city was 
very conservative, very hard to move — but 
there were no signs of slowness so far. Seldom 
had he been more attentively listened to ; seldom 
found his hearers meeting his points so readily. 
He attributed much of the opening success to 
the work of the committee of arrangements. 
Mr. Murphy was very hopeful for the Hartford 



300 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

campaign, and certainly did not feel any less 
confident when the pledge collectors reported 
536 cards turned in for the day, with the proba- 
bility of a good many more not heard from. 
The supply of Blue Ribbons was entirely 
inadequate yesterday, though you will find 
the little blue knot wherever you go to-day. 
Lieutenant Governor Cady, who presided at 
the afternoon meeting for men only, was the 
first one to take the pledge. 

"But what did Hartford find in Murphy? 
An unusually reasonable temperance orator. 
Is it meant by that that he quietly argues out 
his case, adding fact to argument and theory 
to exhortation? No, he is an impassioned 
pleader ; working on the feelings, condescend- 
ing to slang, appearing in becoming but un- 
conventional dress, humoring with clever 
stories well told — often excellently acted — 
reaching the heart with any pathetic incident 
that comes to his knowledge, using all the 
graces of unusual ease, of a handsome face 
with strong expression, a supple figure, and a 
voice which, with no unpleasant harshness, 
carries to the farthermost of his auditors. He 
is unusually reasonable because he will not 
violently attack all who ' taste, touch, or handle.' 
He hammered again and again yesterday on 
the fact that in those who linger too long over 
their cups is often found the purest gold of 
human nature. He is reasonable, too, because 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 301 

he will not touch the ' theology of temperance/ 
as he calls it, keeping well clear of prohibition 
or anything else that smacks of politics. 

" He is unusually effective because his'aim is 
to appeal to the best side of man, and he holds 
consistently to this policy. ' I stand on the plat- 
form of love. I believe in the sunshine and 
sweetness of human nature.' These are his fa- 
miliar watchwords. He avoids the arguments 
of conventional temperance literature, and 
hardly uses statistics at all. Assuming that his 
hearers are all with him on the simple platform 
that intemperance is a curse, he seeks to warm 
all hearts with his own splendid enthusiasm, 
and then tells them that their best fighting 
ground, for themselves and their fellows, must 
be based on total abstinence. ' Be safe, be 
self-denying, stand on the headland of a high 
purpose.' This is not saying that he never ad- 
vances directly on the ' enemy.' When he was 
in Ireland, he told his audience last night, he 
was invited by Lady Cunningham to go to 
Moneymore. At the dinner at the Cunning- 
ham residence, before his first meeting, there 
was wine on the table, and Lord Cunningham 
was cold and frank in his reception of the tem- 
perance orator. His lordship said he did not 
believe in total abstinence. 1 1 have been a 
moderate drinker for thirty years, and no one 
ever saw me under the influence of liquor,' 
added Lord Cunningham. ' I wanted to say 



3° 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" Chestnuts," ' said Mr. Murphy. ' Any man 
who has been drinking for thirty years, and 
has never felt the stimulus and exhilaration of 
alcoholic drinks, has been wasting his time.' 

" Then Mr. Murphy attacked ' moderation.'' 
He asked : ' Where are the sixty thousand com- 
ing from that fill drunkards graves in this land 
every year ? Do they come from the ranks of 
total abstinence? Do they come from the 
Woman's Christian Temperance Union ? Do 
they come from ministers of the gospel? No, 
they are recruited annually from the ranks of 
moderation, and they march to their graves to 
the music of moderation.' " 

This was the way in which Mr. Murphy im- 
pressed Hartford on opening his campaign in 
that city. He drew to his support as he went 
on representatives of the broad and liberal 
clergy of the city, ministers not given to in- 
dorsing innovation or sensation. Among the 
clergymen of Hartford of the broad and liberal 
type, the type that looks to attaining results 
more by the slower processes of growth and 
culture rather than by resorting to excitement 
and startling methods, no one ranks higher 
than the Rev. Joseph H. Twichell of the 
Asylum Hill Congregational Church. This is 
the way Dr. Twichell is reported as speaking 
at a Murphy meeting early in the campaign: 

" My boy came home from the meeting 
Sunday night and said; 'Father, Mr. Murphy 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3°3 

does not blow down on anybody.' Well, I 
was glad to hear that Brother Murphy didn't 
1 blow down ' on anybody. When I go to any 
meeting of reformers, I expect, as a matter of 
course, to see a lot of * blowing down ' on every- 
body, especially the ministers. Ob ! how they 
get out their shillelahs, and beat and belabor the 
ministers and the Church ! You know that the 
lady, — she was plain-looking and quite old, — 
when she saw the negative of her photograph, 
sent up a silent prayer that it might 'be sancti- 
fied to her.' And so I have often prayed that 
the picture of the minister sketched for me at 
some of these reformers' meetings might be 
sanctified to me. 

" Well, my boy also told me that Mr. Murphy 
didn't tell people if they drank too much that 
someone else was to blame for it, but that they 
were to blame themselves ! Now, that's be- 
ginning at the right end. We all like to throw 
off the blame of our sins on somebody — on our 
ancestors — on Adam. Oh, yes, we throw it all 
on to Adam ! Now, Mr. Murphy does not 
accept that sort of theology. He says that we 
are to blame for our sins, not Adam nor any- 
body else. And so I hope to see this work go 
on to greater success along these lines — honest 
manly confession of weakness on the one side, 
and the grace of God reaching down on the 
other." 

Another clergyman who represents much the 



3°4 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

same type of minister as Dr. Tvvichell is the 
Rev. Dr. E. P. Parker of the South Congrega- 
tional Church. Dr. Parker invited Mr. Mur- 
phy to address his people one Sunday evening. 
There was a great throng present, and these 
are Dr. Parker's words of introduction and 
welcome : 

"I am glad to see you all in the South 
Church to-night. I welcome you here, and I 
welcome with all my heart the distinguished 
gentleman whom you have come to hear. One 
reason I am glad to put the seal of my ap- 
proval on this work is because, unlike many 
who have spoken for temperance intemper- 
ately, Mr. Murphy has spoken for the truest 
temperance with temperance. He has abused 
none, and has given no occasion for offense. 
Another thing which I admire in him is his 
great tact. He presents the truth in such a 
way that it wins men. Once a young man 
had fallen through the ice, and was struggling 
in the water. His companions pushed a plank 
to him, but again and again his fingers slipped 
off, and he could get no grip. Finally he 
exclaimed : ' For God's sake, give me the 
wooden end of the plank ! ' They turned the 
plank around, he caught it this time, and was 
drawn safely out. That is the trouble with 
too many of us. We give the icy end of the 
plank." 

This was the impression which Mr. Murphy 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3°5 

made upon Hartford at the beginning of his 
work in that city and during its continuance. 
How was it when he came to say good-by ? 
The Hartford Times, the paper with by far the 
largest circulation in Connecticut, and equally 
with the Courant a representative of conser- 
vatism, thus summarized the result editorially : 

" Mr. T. E. Murphy, the popular temperance 
campaigner, closed his Hartford campaign last 
night with a rousing meeting at the High 
Street Armory, which was crowded with a 
mass of 2500 people. The meeting lasted, 
with talking and singing, until about eleven 
o'clock ; and the people evidently would have 
stayed much longer. They seemed to be fas- 
cinated with Mr. Murphy. It is said that the 
result of his Hartford campaign of five weeks 
is a list of 14,000 signers to the pledge of total 
abstinence. This extraordinary fact, taken in 
connection with the rapt interest and enjoy- 
ment of the crowds attending the Murphy 
meetings, is worth attention. If one-half, or 
one-quarter, of the signers of the pledge hold 
firmly to their word, it will indeed be a bless- 
ing of great magnitude. It will restore the 
light to many a dark and dismal home. 

" What is the secret of Mr. Murphy's remark- 
able power? 'The churches took hold and 
helped ' — yes, but what could the churches 
have done without Murphy? It was Murphy 
who carried the churches, not the churches 



3°6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

that carried Murphy. This popular lecturer 
exhibits none of the arts of the professional 
orator. He talks directly to the people, and 
sets himself above nobody. He meets his vast 
crowds in the same spirit that he would meet 
two or three friends around the kitchen fire. 
He makes friends, and knows a thousand in 
his great audience. His arguments go right 
home to them. Above and beyond all, he 
possesses the inspirational gift vaguely called 
' magnetism ' — a power difficult to define in 
exact terms, but potent to sway crowds as no 
other force does or can." 

The same conservative elements which gave 
Mr. Murphy such strong support in Hartford 
came to his support as well when a little later 
he entered upon his campaign in the rushing 
manufacturing city of New Britain. Prominent 
among the supporters of the movement there 
was Mr. Charles S. Landers, of Landers, Frary 
& Clark's cutlery works. This is the same 
Mr. Landers in whose employ Mr. Murphy 
had been as a youth in his teens, when he used 
to wonder, as he looked enviously at the people 
in the office, whether he could ever hope to 
be as big as they seemed to him. At one of 
the New Britain meetings Mr. Landers gave 
this practical testimony of what was being 
accomplished, as reported in the Hartford 
Times : 

" Mr. Charles Landers said that in the two 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 307 

factories with which he is connected there are 
650 men employed. On the day following pay 
day there have usually been from 25 to 100 
men absent from their work. The men were 
paid upon Monday and this (Tuesday) morning 
he learned from the time-keepers that in the 
cutlery shop there were only four men absent 
— two on account of drink, and two for un- 
known reasons ; and there was not a man 
absent from his work in the hardware factory. 
This announcement was received with loud 
cheers, which lasted for several minutes. Con- 
tinuing, Mr. Landers said that young business 
men who are juniors in the concerns to which 
they belong, would sign the pledge and put on 
the Blue Ribbon that evening. They would 
not do it for fun, either. If those in the 
churches, Mr. Landers added, who are willing 
to sign the pledge could have seen the women 
and children who met Mr. Murphy on Sunday 
night to thank him for the benefits they had 
derived from the movement, such church 
members would hesitate no longer. If such a 
spectacle as that failed to move them to sign 
the pledge then there was nothing in the world 
that would move them to sign it." 

The same statement regarding the character 
of Mr. Murphy's support applies with equal 
truth to his campaign in Middletown. Before 
Mr. Murphy's meetings were concluded in that 
city the Hon. John M. Douglas, who represents 



308 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the same sort of stable prominence there which 
Mr. Landers represents in New Britain, made 
this short and stirring address at one of the 
meetings : 

" I am not here to indorse any ism but 
Murphyism. I confess that Murphy's oratory, 
his logical and convincing arguments for the 
absolute necessity of temperance reform, have 
aroused me to do what I regard as an impera- 
tive individual duty. I am ready to announce 
here and now that I am prepared to sign the 
pledge and hereafter to lend my influence and 
support to carry on this great work." 

It is also worth while to know r the success of 
his policy of non-abuse of saloon keepers, not 
only in winning the favor of fair-minded men, 
but as well in mollifying the natural prejudice of 
the saloon keepers themselves, and thus in pre- 
paring those not unalterably wedded to the 
business for abandoning it. After Murphy had 
been a short time in Hartford a reporter of 
the Globe of that city took pains to talk with 
several saloon keepers, of whom not one had a 
word to say against him. A well known pro- 
prietor of a fashionable resort said this : " That 
man Murphy means all right. He is sensible 
too. I am going to hear him again." Said 
another : " No, I haven't heard Murphy yet. I 
am going to hear him to-night. I think he 
must be a pretty fair-minded man, if all they 
tell of him is true." Said still another: "I'd 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3°9 

rather hear Mr. Murphy talk than go to a 
theater. He is dead in earnest, too. Blame 
me if I don't think he is more than half right." 

One of the peculiarities of Mr. Murphy's 
methods is his way of dealing with drunken 
men in his audiences. That method is illus- 
trated in this description given by the Hart- 
ford Times : 

" That Murphy knows how to handle drunken 
men was demonstrated at Tuesday evening's 
meeting. He had reached a point in his 
address where he asserted that with a solid 
front the temperance people of Hartford could 
make the drinking habits of society very un- 
popular, when a tipsy man in the audience 
broke out : ' That's all right. ' Zur' member in 
' 89/ Mr. Murphy quickly broke in and said 
pleasantly ; ' Yes, that's all right, my friend. 
You are all right. Now be quiet, please.' But 
the man persisted in talking, and endeavored 
to free his muddled mind about the incident 
in '89, which he said again and again that 
Murphy knew all about. Nine speakers out of 
ten would have told the ushers to put the man 
out. But Murphy isn't that kind. He saw he 
had an obstinate case to deal with, but that 
didn't frighten him. After remarking that he 
thanked God that such men came to the meet- 
ings he said : ' Now, my friend, I want to see 
you right up here. Come ! Yes, right up here 
on the platform. We have got a seat for you. 



3IO THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Come now, no waiting.' And, as if by magic, 
the man left his seat, staggered up the main 
aisle, and was met at the platform by Mr 
Murphy, who clasped his brawny hand and 
gracefully escorted him to a seat between a 
couple of clergymen. Mr. Murphy started to 
speak again, but was interrupted with another 
reminder of that imaginary '89 incident. Tak- 
ing the man by the hand he pleasantly but 
firmly said : ' Now, I want you to keep quiet.' 
And, wonderful to relate, the man obeyed. 
Before Mr. Murphy's address was finished he 
had sobered up enough to be an attentive lis- 
tener. He even nodded his approval to many 
of Mr. Murphy's statements." 

The campaign in Connecticut was closed 
with a series of meetings in Danbury, Winsted, 
Willimantic and Bridgeport, the meetings in 
Bridgeport being held after an incursion into 
Massachusetts, and a campaign in Worcester. 
Then followed a short campaign in New Ro- 
chelle, and a shorter one in Boston, when Mr. 
Murphy's health warned him that the constant 
strain must be relieved, obliging him (in the 
spring of 1894) to take, for him, a long vacation 
in search of rest and recuperation. 

Of the result of the campaign in Middletown 
President Raymond of Wesleyan University 
says : " The cause of gospel temperance re- 
ceived a new impetus, 3000 persons sign- 
ing the pledge. A very large proportion 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 311 

of these, among whom were a considerable 
number of both moderate and intemperate 
drinkers, have faithfully kept the pledge. The 
meetings showed not only a deep and perma- 
nent interest in the cause but confidence in the 
method. The philosophy of the method is 
that God will help the man who will try to 
help himself. Mr. Murphy gives just emphasis 
to this side of the work, and has shown him- 
self a wise leader by his power to reach the 
best citizens and utilize them for the cause." 

Of the result of the campaign in New Ro- 
chelle, the Christian at Work says : " Not in 
many years, if ever, has that community been 
so deeply stirred on the temperance question 
as during these meetings. The work was 
carried on under the joint auspices of the 
Evangelical churches of the place. Crowded 
houses were the order from the beginning, and 
toward the close it was found impossible to se- 
cure any place large enough to hold the throng 
attracted by the eloquence, earnestness, and 
magnetism of Mr. Murphy. The results of his 
labors were most gratifying. Over 1500 total 
abstinence pledges were secured, among the 
signers being hundreds of young men and 
others who had never before manifested any 
interest in temperance work." 

The Rev. William J. White of Bridgeport, 
in an article in the Independent, thus summar- 
ized the results of the campaign in that city : 



312 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" Bridgeport, like many communities, was in an 
apathetic condition with reference to the ques- 
tion of temperance reform when the advisibil- 
ity of inviting Mr. Murphy to labor there was 
first considered. After much difficulty, and 
with but an indifferent support, the committee, 
appointed by a gathering of ministers and 
prominent laymen, went to work, perfected an 
organization, and secured Mr. Murphy. He 
was frankly told the situation, and entered 
upon his work with the knowledge that, while 
the committee would stand by him, nothing 
was to be expected from the people, only as 
he might rouse them and bring them to his 
standard. Bridgeport has been called the 
' Denver of Connecticut,' and, judging from 
the standpoint of indifference to the enforce- 
ment of laws against excise violation and other 
immoral practices, the term seemed appropri- 
ate; but, through the efficient labors of Mr. 
Murphy, Bridgeport was roused and stirred to 
a degree never known before, and has shown 
that it is the equal, if indeed not the superior, 
of any city in the State in moral strength and 
power. The most helpful meetings were those 
for men only. Mr. Murphy made his most 
effective addresses at these meetings, and 
eternity only will reveal the great good accom- 
plished through his kind and loving messages 
of God's truth. Of a total of 8000 signers 
many are identified with churches and temper- 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3 I 3 

ance societies, and some are children. But 
there is included a large number of former 
moderate drinkers and slaves to the habit. 
Several remarkable conversions of drunkards, 
not only from the drink habit but from other 
vices, are among the results of the campaign." 

When Mr. Murphy crossed the line from 
Connecticut into Massachusetts, and began 
a series of meetings in November, 1893, in 
Worcester, he naturally felt that the departure 
was a more radical one than any he had yet 
made. For if Connecticut were conservative, 
Massachusetts was still more conservative ; in 
fact, it was the most conservative State in the 
American Union. 

It was very naturally, therefore, a more or less 
open question how far the precedent of Con- 
necticut would hold, and Mr. Murphy's free 
and easy methods " take " in a community of 
the traditions of Worcester. But, as an ob- 
serving newspaper friend of Murphy's said in 
writing home after the opening of the Worces- 
ter campaign, " it was the old story — Mechanics', 
the largest hall in the city, which seats 2500 
people, was by far too small to admit much 
more than half of those who came to attend the 
opening meeting, Sunday afternoon, for men 
only. It was estimated by an attache of the 
hall that 3300 men were present. The platform 
contained a trained chorus of 300 voices and a 
magnificent orchestra of 30 pieces. It was like 



3*4 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

a May Musical Festival. Thirty-five ministers 
lent a dignified solemnity to the scene, but the 
dignity and the solemnity were considerably 
warped when ' Ned ' got warmed up. At the 
close there was a stampede to the pledge 
tables. It made an exciting and inspiring scene, 
and after all was over the record showed 1076 
men had signed." 

The campaign thus auspiciously opened con- 
tinued to be enthusiastic to the close, when 
after four weeks of labor a total of 16,000 pledge 
singers was obtained according to the more 
general estimate, but which Mr. Murphy him- 
self says ought probably to be estimated as 
nearer 12,000. Of one of the Sunday after- 
noon meetings for men only, the Worcester 
Telegram says : " There wasn't a woman in the 
hall. Even ' Maggie ' was absent. There 
wasn't an inch of room to give away to any 
woman. The men seized it all, and when 3000 
or more of them had packed themselves into 
the hall and jammed themselves up the pas- 
sageways and stairways, and when they had 
crowded the platform till there wasn't a corner 
of sitting or standing room to be had even 
there, when the reporters' tables were en- 
croached upon, and a score or more mounted 
the platform and sat on the edge of it at the 
speakers' feet, only then did the hundreds with- 
out desist from their eager efforts to get in. 
The great demonstration was marked by uni- 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3 X 5 

versal enthusiasm, and the best attribute to its 
results was found at the close in the crowd 
of men who signed the pledge and put on the 
Blue Ribbon." 

A gratifying feature of the Worcester cam- 
paign was the cordiality with which the Roman 
Catholics entered into it from the beginning. 
The Messenger, a Roman Catholic journal of 
Worcester, gave Mr. Murphy at the outset of 
the movement this indorsement : " Mr. Murphy 
follows closely the lines of procedure which 
have always received the sanction of the 
Church. His method is the same as that 
which the great apostle of the cause, Father 
Mathew, employed with such wonderful suc- 
cess ; and it is therefore a method which 
should enlist in a special manner the hearty 
indorsement and support of the Catholic 
people." 

This indorsement and support was subse- 
quently given in the most cordial way. " One 
of the most enthusiastic audiences that ' Ned ' 
Murphy has addressed in Worcester," said 
the Telegram of that city, " was that which 
gathered in Father Mathew Hall last evening. 
The audience occupied every seat on the 
floor and gallery, and all available standing 
room in the aisles. There were Protestant 
speakers as well as Roman Catholic, including 
Secretary H. L. Gale of the Y. M. C. A., and 
the Rev. Frank D. Vrooman," 



3^6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

The Boston campaign, as has been already 
said, was cut short by the strain being too 
much for Mr. Murphy. In about two weeks 
some 6000 pledge signers were secured. The 
Golde?i Rule, the organ of the Christian En- 
deavorers, under whose auspices Mr. Murphy 
entered upon the work, contains this summary 
of the results, contributed by a member of the 
Temperance Committee of the Boston Union : 

" There is a prevailing notion among evange- 
lists of all kinds that Boston is the Gettysburg 
of their hopes. If success shall crown their 
efforts in this Athens of the New World, then 
the course is clear for the achievement of their 
fondest aspiration. The orator whose star of 
hope has risen in the wild and woolly West is 
never quite content until he can say in regard 
to Boston, Veniy Vidi, Vici. 

" When Mr. Murphy arrived in Boston it 
was a great shock, even to some of our most 
advanced temperance workers, to contemplate 
for this city, the center of so many attractions, 
ten consecutive addresses by one man on the 
hackneyed subject of Gospel Temperance Re- 
form. When it was known that one of the 
largest auditoriums of the city had been en- 
gaged for the work, and that the Christian 
Endeavorers had no one but the expected con- 
gregation to depend upon to defray the 
expenses of the series of meetings, it began to 
be whispered about that these young men and 



" NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3 ! 7 

women had a huge white elephant on their 
hands. 

"The campaign was opened Sunday after- 
noon with a meeting for men only, in the 
Berkeley Temple, and in the evening 3000 
people crowded into the People's Church, and 
altogether that day more than 250 came for- 
ward to sign the pledge and put on the Blue 
Ribbon. The murmurings about the huge 
white elephant grew beautifully less and less 
audible. The meetings were continued, the 
crowds came, their hearts were touched and 
their sympathies stirred. Some who were 
sour and ugly when first solicited to sign the 
pledge still continued to come to the meetings. 
One man I remember distinctly who came to 
the first meeting, and, although refusing to 
sign the pledge, came to every succeeding 
meeting during that week and occupied the 
same seat each time. On the following Sun- 
day, at the testimony meeting, he witnessed 
for Christ, and, although not ten people in the 
house could have heard the words, his noble 
effort was seen and appreciated by hundreds. 

" At the end of the first ten days' campaign, 
and following a rest of three days, the meetings 
were continued another full week with splendid 
success. All classes were reached. The pro- 
fessional and laboring men signed the pledge 
side by side. The whole of the burden and 
responsibility in every detail was carried by 



318 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the Endeavorers. Scores labored night after 
night on the lookout and reception committees, 
and the success of the personal, hand to hand 
work, which was a marked feature of the meet- 
ings, was due to them. The Endeavorers were 
also frequently called upon in Mr. Murphy's 
happy, informal way for platform service, and 
they gave it as they do all things, as best they 
could, trusting in the Lord for strength. 

" One Sunday night, after 3500 people had 
been admitted, the doors were closed and 1500 
were turned away for lack of room. On the 
closing night, in spite of a pouring rain, the 
People's Church was filled, and enthusiasm ran 
high. On behalf of the Temperance Committee 
of the Boston Christian Endeavor Union, 
Treasurer Shaw, of the United Society, pre- 
sented Mr. and Mrs. Murphy each with a 
beautiful C. E. pin, the letter " C " outlined in 
pearls and the " E " in turquoises, thus uniting 
Mr. Murphy's symbol of the blue with the 
Endeavor monogram. On the platform each 
night were men and women noted for their 
Christian service, and representing the various 
Christian institutions of the city. President 
Clark, Secretary Baer, and Treasurer Shaw gave 
their presence and voices to the success of the 
meetings ; also Trustee Dickinson and several 
of the pastors of the city. 

" Thousands are rejoicing to-day because of 
Mr. Murphy's visit to Boston, and are already 



"NED" MURPHY'S CAMPAIGN. 3*9 

clamoring for his return for a more protracted 
campaign. Meanwhile the lookout committee 
is at work upon the coupons bearing the name, 
address, and church preference of everyone who 
signed one of the pledges. ' May God bless 
" Ned " Murphy,' is the prayer of the Christian 
people of Boston." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 

The permanency of the Blue Ribbon move- 
ment has already been considered something 
at length in the chapters on Mr. William J. 
Murphy and the character of his work in 
Indianapolis. This is perhaps an unusual case, 
and cannot be regarded as strictly typical of 
the movement generally, mainly for the reason 
that both Mr. Francis Murphy and Mr. William 
J. Murphy have made Indianapolis their home. 
Thus the elaborate system of leagues there in- 
stituted is directly under their fostering care, 
and owes its exceptional success no doubt in 
large part to that fact. This, of course, could 
not be true in the case of " Ned " Murphy, 
who has no settled home and whose work is 
entirely evangelistic. The results after one of 
" Ned " Murphy's campaigns must be left to 
the care of his friends and of the local temper- 
ance organizations previously existing or com- 
ing into existence through the interest he has 
created. In these cases the test of the natural 
strength of the temperance interest he has 
awakened, whether in individuals or in the 
community, is a much severer one than in the 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 3 21 

case of organizations such as those in Indian- 
apolis fostered by the direct oversight of two 
members of the Murphy family. 

Another question also arises in this connec- 
tion. Can the work of a movement such as 
that of the Blue Ribbon movement be meas- 
ured so accurately by the visible results in 
large cities as by the visible results in compara- 
tively small cities and in towns? City life is 
constantly changing. The city's population is 
being constantly renewed. The infusion of new 
blood and of new ideas alters old traditions 
and remakes a large city oftener than we are 
accustomed to think. Traditions still persist 
to a certain extent, but they are continually 
modified by the new habits and ways of look- 
ing at things which come in with the influx of 
new citizens. In a big city there is constant 
attrition, the rubbing of ideas freshly imported 
against the ideas which have long obtained. 
This gives it what we call its cosmopolitan 
character, its hospitality to innovation, its 
catholicity and tolerance, its alertness, and 
its unsettled way of regarding everything as 
open and nothing as fixed. Under such 
conditions no movement in morals can be 
counted upon as certainly stable. Such a 
movement may greatly affect the city of to- 
day, but the city of to-morrow will have turned 
its thoughts away from it and find its interest 
centered in something vastly different. To go 



32 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

no farther than the surface, persons who have 
been the strongest promoters of a certain move- 
ment, the men of prestige and influence who 
gave it standing, may have been removed and 
men of an entirely different type may have 
taken their places. Prominent figures in the 
business and social life of a large city are 
continually giving place to new ones. The 
panoramic character of this life is its most con- 
spicuous characteristic. Even if families retain 
their prominence, their representatives change 
greatly with each new generation. The son 
does not necessarily follow in his father's foot- 
steps. He is the man of to-day and his father 
was the man of yesterday. Not only so, but 
the large city is the place of all others to 
which the old saying most closely applies that 
" times change and men change with them." 
The city man is much less firmly wedded to 
inherited or traditional views than the man of 
the country. He is less conservative, readier 
to modify his present belief to accord with 
what he thinks is to be the belief of to-morrow. 
Under such circumstances it is an almost im- 
possible task to make a lasting and permanent 
mark on the life of a large city. The material 
is too mutable, and, lacking consistency, takes 
on no fixed character. For this reason any 
movement in morals in a large city must con- 
tinually change its methods to meet chang- 
ing exigencies. 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 3 2 3 

It may therefore better suit our purpose in 
discussing the permanent influence of such a 
movement as that of the Blue Ribbon to select 
some typical instances from among the smaller 
cities and towns where " Ned " Murphy has 
worked. Our first selection will be the town 
of Wallingford, Conn., where Mr. Murphy con- 
ducted a campaign in the spring of 1893. The 
movement there took on all the characteristics 
so familiar to those who have followed it in 
various parts of the country. In Wallingford, 
which is a typical manufacturing town of from 
8000 to 10,000 inhabitants, the Armory was 
crowded night after night, and the enthusiasm 
was intense. The climax was reached one 
evening when some of the most prominent 
citizens of the town came forward and not 
only expressed their sympathy with the cause 
of the Blue Ribbon but proved their loyalty 
to it by putting it on and signing the pledge. 
These prominent gentlemen include Judge 
Hubbard, an ex-Secretary of State; Colonel 
Leavenworth, formerly in command of the 
Second Regiment, C. N. G.; B. A. Treat, cap- 
tain of the local company of that regiment ; 
and F. A. Wallace, a prominent manufacturer. 
As a New Haven paper says, in describing the 
scene when these gentlemen announced their 
intention of becoming total abstainers, " The 
applause was simply deafening." A Meriden 
paper in reporting the event says: "Judge 



324 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

Hubbard made a strong temperance address 
during which many were visibly affected. 
Among the many things he said — and they 
were said in a very cool and deliberate manner, 
the judge carefully weighing each word — were 
the following : ' I cannot say I am abashed. 
Rather I am astonished at the spectacle I 
have witnessed here night after night. I have 
been more intensely interested in this move- 
ment than anyone could suppose. I have 
been thinking seriously of the question of my 
personal duty for the last four days, and I have 
made up my mind to this : I must identify 
myself unqualifiedly with this movement. I 
appeal to you, gentlemen, I appeal to you as 
brothers. I can know no greater happiness 
than I know now in signing the Murphy 
pledge and putting on the Blue Ribbon! This 
is the first temperance speech I ever made in 
my life, but I promise you that it shall not be 
the last.' Colonel Leavenworth who followed 
said : ' I did not want to be told to stand up by 
Judge Hubbard, but now I take my stand here 
beside him, and I shall sign the same pledge.' 
Captain B. A. Treat said : ' I have seriously 
contemplated the step I am now about to take. 
I am over fifty years old and I have never 
before taken the pledge.' Mr. F. A. Wallace 
in brief words expressed his hearty indorse- 
ment of what the others had said, and his 
resolution to join them in taking the pledge." 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 3 2 5 

Now who are these men who on that night 
arrayed themselves on the side of sobriety and 
declared their allegiance to the Blue Ribbon 
movement? They were among the most in- 
fluential and prominent citizens of Walling- 
ford. They were, at least some of them, men 
for whom the conviviality of the drink habit 
had the strongest possible attraction. They 
were " good fellows." They liked to join a knot 
of their cronies in their club and chat and " take 
something"; and they liked a " hot bird and 
a cold bottle " in Delmonico's with the right 
companionship. It meant a good deal to them 
to sacrifice the pleasures of conviviality for the 
sake of their influence upon others. But when 
they made the sacrifice they made it for good 
and all, and their influence and example has 
done much to change permanently the drink- 
ing habits in Wallingford. 

A temperance club has been started in the 
town which affords a pleasant gathering place 
for those who might otherwise be tempted to 
spend their time in a saloon. This is perhaps 
the most conspicuous outward landmark of 
the campaign, but in a thousand small ways 
the change which has taken place is noticeable 
to those who are familiar with Wallingford. 
Probably as strong a bit of evidence as any of 
this change is to be found in the attitude of 
the local company of the Second Regiment, 
C. N. G., toward temperance. Practically this 



320 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

company is enlisted in a body in the Blue Rib- 
bon army, at least so few of its members still 
retain the ordinary drinking habits of the 
soidier's life that they do not count. At the 
camp of 1893 at Niantic this company voted 
not to have any intoxicants on its street, nor 
to offer any, as is usual, to visitors. The few 
members of the company who are not them- 
selves total abstainers cheerfully respected the 
general sentiment, and thus the extraordinary 
spectacle was presented of one company of 
Connecticut's National Guard which practiced 
Prohibition from the first day of the encamp- 
ment to the last. 

Mr. Julius Maltby, a prominent manufacturer 
of Wallingford, but not himself a Blue Ribbon 
man, bore this testimony to what had been 
accomplished by the Blue Ribbon movement 
in that town in the course of a private conver- 
sation which was purely informal. He had no 
idea at the time that he was to go on record, 
and was simply giving the facts as they had 
come under his observation with no thought 
that any special use was to be made of them. 
As he is a strong personal friend of Mr. Mur- 
phy, and a sincere believer in the effectiveness 
of his methods, he will without doubt pardon 
the present allusion to what he said. 

In Mr. Maltby 's view the effect of the Mur- 
phy campaign had been much more far reaching 
than simply to stimulate a great interest in the 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 3 2 7 

temperance question and to arouse effort to 
secure permanence for the results of that 
interest. In enlisting such men as Judge 
Hubbard and Colonel Leavenworth in the 
cause, Mr. Murphy had been successful in ac- 
complishing much more than he or others had 
anticipated. Finding no longer any pleasure 
in convivial gatherings outside of Wallingford, 
these leading citizens spent a great deal more 
time than had formerly been their habit in 
town. Having more time at their disposal, and 
an interest in one good cause leading naturally 
to an interest in other good causes, they were 
always ready to lend a hand wherever it was 
needed. Thus it has come about that all pro- 
jects of church and social reform find an influ- 
ence behind them which they lacked before ; 
for, when men of standing and position take 
hold, others are quick to follow their example. 

In regard to the temperance club in the town 
Mr. Maltby said that as far as his observation 
went, and he had been interested as an outsider 
in watching its career as closely as a busy man 
could find time to, he believed it had accom- 
plished all that could in reason have been ex- 
pected of it. The general interest in it seemed 
to be genuine and permanent, and much had 
been done to make it a positive success. 

In regard to the men in the factories Mr. 
Maltby testified unqualifiedly to the visible 
benefits which had come from the Murphy 



328 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

movement. Many good workmen who had 
formerly been disposed to spend money care- 
lessly had become thrifty, and seldom if ever 
spoiled their efficiency or lessened their possi- 
ble earnings by " taking a day off." Indeed the 
whole tone of business life had undergone a very 
perceptible change, from office to factory room, 
as the result of the Blue Ribbon movement. 
There was no reason to believe that there 
would be any tendency in a backward direction 
for many years to come. The impetus that 
had been given was so real and so strong that 
it would require a positive influence on the 
other side, an anti-temperance campaign so to 
speak, to check what was now the natural ten- 
dency in favor of sobriety and good morals. 

It is probably superfluous to point out that 
testimony of this sort is on the whole more 
satisfactory, means really more as a measure of 
what has been accomplished and of what is 
likely to be accomplished in the future, than 
columns of statistics giving the numbers of 
those who have signed the pledge. Such 
statistics indicate simply individual changes, 
which, however large they may be in the aggre- 
gate, are after all only individual changes. 
But changes such as these to which Mr. Maltby 
bears witness indicate a change in the attitude 
of the community itself. There is a different 
atmosphere. The unnoticed influences that go 
so far to determine community bent are now 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. Z 2 9 

on the side of sobriety and right living, where 
formerly they made for conviviality and self- 
indulgence. Such a change is an exceptional 
tribute to what it is in the power of influential 
citizens to accomplish, if they can be once per- 
suaded to practise self-sacrifice and to believe 
in the power of their own example. This illus- 
trates forcibly what was said at the outset of 
the difference in permanency between moral 
movements in the city and country. There 
are for example no men in New York or 
Chicago who, by going over in a body to tem- 
perance reform, could accomplish anything like 
the same results relatively as those accomplished 
in a town like Wallingford, by the change in 
favor of temperance of its controlling body of 
leading citizens. 

Another place, one very different from 
Wallingford in every way, is the growing city 
of Sedalia, Mo. The Rev. B. F. Boiler, now 
pastor of the Edwards Congregational Church 
in Davenport, la., was a pastor in Sedalia at 
the time of Mr. Murphy's Blue Ribbon cam- 
paign there. Writing under date of June 7, 
1894, Mr. Boiler thus describes the results of 
the Murphy movement: 

" Sedalia, a thriving, enterprising commer- 
cial and railroad center of 30,000 people, lo- 
cated in the central part of Missouri, had for 
years been noted as a disturbing element in a 
storm belt of strikes and labor agitations, but 



33° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

has become equally well known as the ' Prairie 
Queen ' famed for large benevolence, generous 
hospitality in the entertaining of conventions 
of all sorts and sizes, and for her signal aggres- 
siveness in various reformatory and revival 
movements. During the nearly eight years 
while I was pastor of the First Congregational 
Church in that city there was not a year in 
which our churches were not visited by a gra- 
cious revival. Especially notable was the re- 
vival of January, 1887, under the direction of 
the well known evangelist, Major J. H. Cole, 
when Sedalia was mightily moved from center 
to circumference. The work, which was a 
union work on the part of all the Protestant 
churches, resulted in the conversion of over 
2000 souls and in the addition of 800 members 
to the churches, among whom were leading 
business men, others who had been notorious 
gamblers or drunkards, as well as some saloon 
keepers. 

" The churches received new spiritual life, 
and Sedalia came to be known for its marked 
religious tone, and for being the best equipped 
of any city of its size in the West in the beauty 
and commodiousness of its church buildings, 
and for the church loving character of its 
people. Nevertheless the prevailing apathy 
of the people in general regarding the evils 
of intemperance, and the lawless depredations 
of the saloons, were a subject for unceasing 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 33 l 

lamentation on the part of pastors, Christians, 
and those moral men who were interested in 
the promotion of temperance. 

" In the fall of 1891 a decision was reached 
by the pastors of Sedalia to inaugurate a 
temperance campaign under the leadership of 
Mr. Thomas E. Murphy. ' Ned ' and his de- 
voted and helpful ' Maggie ' came to the city 
in October and remained there for nearly four 
weeks. The work proved to be a second great 
revival, and in its sweeping character and in- 
fluence for good can never be forgotten. To- 
day there are no two persons so lovingly and 
tenderly remembered in Sedalia, or who, if 
they should revisit the city, would be received 
with as hearty enthusiasm as ' Ned ' and 
' Maggie.' 

" The whole city was aroused to a moral 
earnestness, never before experienced, regard- 
ing the duty of temperance. The influence of 
that revival has persisted and is still very per- 
ceptibly felt up to the present time. Many 
who had before Mr. Murphy's coming been 
entirely indifferent to the saloon and its evils, 
now view the matter in an entirely different 
light. Homes, long filled with the darkness 
and blight of a great curse which had trans- 
formed them into a very hell, the fathers and 
husbands into murderers and the children into 
vagrants and beggars, were again made radiant 
with cheer and hope ; hearts that seemed to 



33 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

feel nought but sorrow were turned manward 
and Godward, and were made to realize the 
saving power of brotherly sympathy and Chris- 
tian charity. Never before had our churches 
and their pastors such a marvelous demonstra- 
tion of that innate hopefulness so characteristic 
of our dear Brother Murphy, with his great 
heart that feels for the lowest vagabond, so 
characteristic of the Master himself — that 
hopefulness of love that saves to the utter- 
most, a love which takes in the whole world 
and its depth of sin and suffering. 

" The next best thing to faith in God, and 
the peace of it, is faith in our fellow-man, and 
that was a treasure ' Ned ' Murphy had not 
lost — nay, he had retained it in all its pristine, 
childlike purity and enchanting attractiveness ; 
hence his success. He never loses sight of the 
image of God in his brother, however low fallen, 
or of the fact that that brother is still a man 
and has a chance to rise. On the other hand 
he never lets go his hold on God, the omnipo- 
tence of love to reach and to save. To some 
of us it was a lesson and a revelation never to 
be forgotten. The miracles of grace wrought 
upon some of the most abject and seemingly 
hopeless cases were truly wonderful. It was a 
touch of the heart of God, and many said they 
had never seen it before in this wise. 

" As the visible result of the movement in 
Sedalia some 3000 signed the pledge and put 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 333 

on the Blue Ribbon. A permanent organiza- 
tion was formed, known as ' The Murphy Club.' 
The work was continued in the churches re- 
sulting in additions to their membership, a 
better observance of law and order, and a 
marked turning toward righteousness in all 
social, municipal, and religious affairs and 
interests. From many a redeemed heart and 
home goes up the unceasing prayer : ' God 
bless " Ned " and " Maggie " Murphy.' " 

In the autumn of 1893 Mr. Murphy con- 
ducted a temperance campaign of unusual suc- 
cess in a conservative New England city, a city 
noted for its universal devotion to business, 
and one hard to move out of the beaten path. 
An article summing up the results of that cam- 
paign after the first freshness of excitement had 
passed away appeared in the Independent in 
its issue of June 14, 1894. The article says: 

" It is over six months now since Thomas 
Edward Murphy, the ' temperance toiler,' as 
the reporters are fond of calling him, conducted 
a four weeks' campaign in Waterbury, Conn., 
a city of about 40,000 inhabitants. It was a 
time of wonderful awakening on the temper- 
ance question. For nearly thirty consecutive 
nights the largest hall in the city was packed 
with audiences of more than 2000 each, to 
listen to the same stories of appeal as they were 
reiterated in the wonderfully ' taking ' manner 
which is ' Ned ' Murphy's own. That of itself, 



334 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

is the achievement of genius — to hold such 
audiences consecutively on a hackneyed theme 
for a month of nights. The outward and 
visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace 
was a grand total of 10,000 pledge signers, more 
than a quarter of the people in the town. Of 
course a large number of them are women and 
boys, and another large number are men who 
would not drink in any case, or at least would 
not drink to excess. But, after making a fair 
allowance for all these classes, there still remain 
thousands ranged on the right side ; thousands 
perhaps saved — certainly if true to their pledges 
— from the curse of the liquor habit. Even 
so general and unaggressive a personality as 
Murphy's — unaggressive toward those who 
differ with him as to method, while themselves 
believing in self-restraint if not in total absti- 
nence — cannot escape criticism at least, if they 
do escape active opposition. So there were 
not a few to predict that, when the excitement 
had died out and Murphy himself had gone 
away, the results of his work would in the main 
pass away too. One such hostile critic de- 
scribes Murphy's work in Waterbury as ' a cam- 
paign of entertainment and emotion,' adding 
that these were poor foundations to build on 
permanently. Mr. Murphy's friends, those 
who believed in his methods and his work, 
realized as fully as his critics that there was 
ground for such prediction, and that Mr. 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 335 

Murphy had only sowed the seed while others 
must see to it that tilling was carefully done 
and the harvest garnered. So no sooner was 
his work closed than they organized, in every 
way that good sense suggested, to make the re- 
sults permanent. The story of what they have 
done is interesting and significant, and may 
prove suggestive to others elsewhere who are 
working for the promotion of practical temper- 
ance. 

" First and foremost Mr. Murphy's friends 
determined to see to it that the ' reformed 
men,' the reclaimed drunkards who had signed 
the pledge and put on the Blue Ribbon, should 
be kept from falling back into their old ways 
if it were possible to accomplish this. On the 
very first Sunday after the close of Mr. Mur- 
phy's campaign, the Waterbury Temperance 
Reform League was organized. Only reformed 
men were first invited to join it, although 
later those interested in the cause have been 
admitted. The membership at the start was 
about 400, and it is now — six months later — 
about 600. The League meets every Sunday 
afternoon in the principal opera house of the 
city, and the attendance has been continuously 
very large, on most occasions filling the house. 
The choice of a president was most fortunate, 
the Rev. Mr. Nichols, a Baptist pastor of the 
city, himself a reformed man, who possesses 
good sense, strong feeling, and considerable 



33 6 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

humor. He has held together this body of 
men, once the slaves of an imperious appetite, 
in almost unbroken ranks for six months, as 
there have been known to be so far but six 
cases of positive backsliding. 

" Mr. Nichols's methods included, first, im- 
pressing it upon the members of the League 
that it was their League and no one else's — 
that it was not a charity affair — and that they 
must pay for it out of their own pockets. The 
expenses are met by the collections which are 
taken up every Sunday afternoon at the regu- 
lar meeting of the League. At the date of 
writing the League has quite a little balance 
in its treasury. Next, President Nichols in- 
sisted that the offices of the League must be 
filled by conspicuous reformed men. This was 
simply carrying out the idea that the League 
was the men's own. Third, as Mr. Nichols 
himself puts it, ' the men are not preached at 
or lectured to.' The character of the meetings 
is rather that of an experience meeting, the 
men themselves telling of their temptations 
and victories, and of their slips — if they had 
made any. There are also recitations and 
good, hearty singing, with occasional addresses 
by outsiders, clergymen, and others. The men 
are encouraged to watch over and stand by 
one another. If any member of the League is 
absent from one of the regular Sunday after- 
noon services, his absence is noted, other mem- 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 337 

bers of the League look him up and make 
kindly inquiries as to the reason. ' There are 
two things/ says Mr. Nichols, ' which have been 
kept before the men as reasons why they should 
hold out. The first is that God commands it, 
and they cannot honor and obey him by drink- 
ing. The second is the magic of the word 
" home " — home as it was when drink ruled and 
ruined it, and home as it is and as it will be, 
now that they have signed the pledge, if they 
will only keep true to their vows.' 

" Mr. Nichols believes that for the worst 
cases the best method is to get the men into 
the League first and into the churches after- 
ward. The reformed man has a great horror 
of being preached at. So, when clergymen 
visit the League, Mr. Nichols warns them not 
to be professional, not to attempt to urge the 
men to attend church services. Let that come 
naturally, he says, and of itself. If the clergy- 
men meet the members of the League as men 
to men, the members will feel the attraction 
and will be drawn to the churches naturally 
and of their own volition. 

" A good deal of space has been given to 
the work of the League, because it has proved 
a unique success along the most difficult of 
reformed lines — the permanent reclamation 
of those temporarily snatched from the drink 
habit. But what is being accomplished by 
the League is only a part of what is being 



33% THE BLUE RIBBON. 

done in Waterbury to make permanent Mr. 
Murphy's work. In connection with the 
various churches, associations known as Yoke- 
Fellow Bands have been established, while two 
Roman Catholic churches have similar socie- 
ties, one of them very large. These Catholic 
societies have been greatly stimulated and 
quickened by Mr. Murphy's campaign, and 
their present activity is largely due to his visit. 
This is of great value in a city like Waterbury, 
which has a large Roman Catholic population. 
" Perhaps as good an example as any of 
these church auxiliary associations is the Help- 
ing Hand Society of the Second Congregational 
Church, the church with the largest member- 
ship of any of its denomination in Con- 
necticut. The Rev. Dr. J. G. Davenport, 
pastor of the church, thus describes the 
society: 'It contains a hundred members, all 
men, of whom 54 have used liquor to a greater 
or less extent, in most cases a " greater " than a 
" less." A number of the members signed the 
pledge while Murphy was here ; the others, all 
of them, as a result of the influences then set in 
motion. We meet on Sunday evenings after 
the public services. The Rev. Mr. Hollister, 
my assistant, the president, presides. Brief 
devotional services are followed by brief re- 
marks, often from all who are present. The men 
tell of their trials and their victories, and if they 
have fallen, as has occurred two or three times, 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 339 

they confess their fault, ask forgiveness, and 
renew their covenant to sobriety. There is a 
short form of initiation in which the candidates 
come forward and recite the pledge, which is 
essentially Murphy's. Then all the members 
repeat the pledge with them, thus weekly 
renewing their vows. There is great inform- 
ality at all the meetings. This is encouraged. 
The men "get off" humorous remarks, 
applaud, laugh, do whatever they please 
almost, but everything is cordial and helpful. 
Much is made of the " Helping Hand " idea, 
everybody shaking hands with everybody else 
before the meeting breaks up, and every 
brother continually trying to aid every other 
brother. Many have found work and have 
been variously assisted through the " Hand." 
On three occasions societies in the church have 
given receptions to the Helping Hand, furnish- 
ing music and recitations and serving refresh- 
ments — this by way of encouragement. The 
influence of this little society has been great. 
The esprit de corps is marked. I am confident 
that it has exerted a genuine power for good 
among its members.' 

" This society, it may be added, is typical in 
its work and methods of the other societies 
connected with the other churches of the city. 
It is at once seen how much Christian activity 
has done and is doing to make permanent 
the results of the Murphy campaign. 



34° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

" In addition to the work of the League and 
of the churches, there has also been organized 
the Waterbury Council for Temperance Work, 
a body composed of representatives of the vari- 
ous churches and of the temperance, benevo- 
lent, and philanthropical societies of the city, 
as well as of such other citizens as are nomi- 
nated and elected. The organization meets 
once a month to discuss the various phases of 
temperance and reform work, and the initia- 
tion of movements of a helpful character. So 
far its principal achievement is the raising of 
$3000 capital with which a coffee house has 
been started. It was patterned on the very 
successful coffee house now for some years an 
institution in Bridgeport, of which the Rev. 
Mr. Lewis has been the moving and controlling 
spirit, and which has paid the ordinary com- 
mercial rate of interest from the outset. 

" But these various organizations do not by 
any means limit the tangible results of the Mur- 
phy campaign in Waterbury. A well known 
resident and close observer says that not for fifty 
years has there been in Waterbury a practical 
interest in temperance at once so deep and so 
general. He thinks that it has touched all 
classes, and disposed all classes to work to- 
gether toward the common end. It has been 
a reasonable, broad-minded interest. The 
absence of any thing approaching fanaticism 
or the spirit of denunciation has been note- 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 34* 

worthy. The movement has been character- 
ized throughout by Murphy's own spirit, that 
of tolerance for those who differ, and of the 
exaltation of a sober and pure life and charac- 
ter. It's motto has been : ' Overcome evil 
with good.' " 

The work in Waterbury notably illustrated 
one valuable characteristic of " Ned " Murphy's 
campaigns, speaking generally, namely, the way 
in which they bring together Protestants and 
Roman Catholics in the most harmonious 
relations. 

Says a Waterbury newspaper in describing 
the first of the special Murphy meetings for 
Roman Catholics : " There is no excuse or 
necessity for disguising the fact that the 
Murphy meeting at St. Patrick's hall on Satur- 
day night was one of the most important, all 
things considered, of any Mr. Murphy has yet 
held in Waterbury. It was a meeting of cheers 
and enthusiastic applause. The hall, which is 
the largest parish hall in Waterbury, was 
entirely too small, and an audience of 1200 
squeezed itself into an apartment which will 
seat about 700. Of these 248 signed the Blue 
Ribbon pledge, while 200 added their names 
to a membership roll of a total abstinence 
society which is to be organized in the parish. 
It would be useless to try to describe the 
enthusiasm which prevailed. Dr. Davenport, 
pastor of the Second Congregational Church, 



342 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

the Rev. Mr. Barton, pastor of the First Metho- 
dist Church, and the members of the Blue 
Ribbon Protestant committee were received 
with hearty applause when they entered. The 
Immaculate Conception Church committee was 
on hand to help, and on the stage were a num- 
ber of prominent parishioners. In the absence 
of the pastor, the Rev. J. A. Mulcahy, Mr. 
Murphy was introduced by the Rev. Father 
Kennedy, who announced that Father Mul- 
cahy would arrive later." 

Mr. Murphy's own speech was characteristic. 
A short quotation may not be out of place. 
Mr. Murphy said : " We have reasoned together 
on this question, not as Protestants, but as 
lovers of the old Stars and Stripes, as American 
citizens who believe in the greatest good for 
the greatest number. I thank God with rever- 
ence inexpressible for the work of the Catholic 
total abstinence societies. When I was in 
Cork I went to the cemetery and uncovered my 
head beside the grave of a man who closed his 
church and went up and down through all Ire- 
land, until over 1,500,000 had signed the pledge 
for total abstinence. He went to England 
and his eloquence was heard in the House of 
Commons. He boarded a transatlantic steamer 
and landed in these United States and his tour 
was like the progress of a triumphal procession. 
I allude to that sainted priest Father Mathew ! 
His memory will be ever green and watered by 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 343 

the tears of affection. As Irishmen we have 
a worthy patron to follow and an illustrious 
example to imitate. I love to linger on the 
evidence of his great catholicity and broad ex- 
perience. At the end of one of his immense 
meetings in New York, as the pledges were 
being signed, a man came up to him and said, 
pointing to another : ' Father, here is an Orange- 
man.' ' I wouldn't care if he were a lemon- 
man,' was Father Mathew's answer, 'as long as 
he signs the pledge.' " 

Both of the Protestant clergymen, Dr. Daven- 
port and Mr. Barton, made addresses which 
were enthusiastically received, and they were 
followed by the Rev. Father Mulcahy the 
pastor of the principal Roman Catholic church 
in Waterbury, who had arrived in the mean- 
while, and who said : 

" I came into this hall half an hour ago in- 
tending to do myself the honor of coming on 
the platform, but I felt such an interest in what 
was being said that I could not bear to miss 
any of it or to interrupt the speaker : I came 
to listen, not to speak. However, I will say 
that I trust you will not soon forget the impor- 
tant truths to which you have listened this 
evening. Every word should be an inspiration 
to a brighter and nobler life. I have no doubt 
that if we could continue in the disposition 
kindled by these burning and eloquent words, 
there would be no need to take any pledge at 



344 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

all. But why should you not persevere in the 
good resolutions I am sure you have already 
made ? Some say that they have been carried 
away by the speaker's eloquence. But I tell 
you that no one can paint too vividly the 
horrors of the drink habit. The tongue of the 
greatest orator who ever lived would fail in at- 
tempting it. Go to your homes and do not 
say that you were carried away by the excite- 
ment of the occasion. These truths, vivid as 
they are, fall far below the real truths. When 
the best thoughts have been awakened within 
you, when the real evils of the drink habit have 
been portrayed, when the hand of truth has 
torn aside the veil with which alcohol has de- 
ceived you, then is your mind the keenest and 
the most reasonably fixed to resolve that noth- 
ing shall induce you to change your resolution. 
These truths are true to-day as they will be 
true to-morrow. They are as true as God him- 
self, and I hope that next year and the year 
after, and all down the years, you yourselves 
will be true to the inspiring words you have 
heard to-night. May no future lethargy on 
your part cause you to violate the manly resolu- 
tions you have here and now made." 

Other meetings for Catholics followed the 
one just reported. In one of them in the 
Church of the Sacred Heart, for the second 
time in the history of Waterbury, Protestant 
clergymen occupied seats behind a Roman 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 345 

Catholic chancel rail. In measuring the per- 
manency of the Murphy movement such inci- 
dents as this must be given their true impor- 
tance. They do not of course appear in the 
Blue Ribbon statistics, and they are lost in the 
totals of the hundreds of thousands who have 
signed the pledge. But they nevertheless re- 
present a very strong force which has been 
born for the furtherance, not alone of temper- 
ance, but of all other movements which make 
for righteousness, 

The story of what the Murphy campaign has 
done in three selected places has thus been 
told. These three places differ very greatly 
from one another. One is a rather small town 
where the dominating influence of a few men is 
very apparent. Another is a typical Western 
city with all the enthusiasm and " go " character- 
istic of the West, and also with that freedom 
from cant which does not conceal vice, but 
which forces it upon public attention. The 
third is a busy manufacturing city in Con- 
necticut, where the business spirit dominates 
everything else, where conversatism prevails, 
and where reform movements of any sort find 
it hard work to secure a hearing, owing to the 
absorption of the people in other matters and 
to their indisposition to leave the customary 
routine. In all of these places the community 
life has received a new impetus and has under- 
gone a change which is permanent and lasting, 



346 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

owing to the radical character of the upheaval 
following the appeals and methods of " Ned " 
Murphy. Such a change and such an impetus 
must by the very nature of things extend far 
beyond the limits of the propagandism of a 
single idea. One cannot be stirred in his 
spiritual nature on one side and be left un- 
stirred on the other side. An awakened con- 
science is sensitive not only to the call of one 
duty, but to the calls of other duties. This is 
so evident that it needs no elaboration. 

An admiring friend of " Ned " Murphy has 
said that if he were only as great as an organizer 
as he is in other departments of temperance 
work he would be the phenomenal success of 
the age. But it is very much to be doubted 
whether the genius for organization and the 
genius of spontaneousness are not essentially 
antagonistic. A man who was an organizer, 
it is safe to say, would never be a " Ned " 
Murphy. For this reason the duty of organi- 
zation, of harvesting and perpetuating the 
results of one of " Ned " Murphy's campaigns, 
is a duty that must be assumed by his friends 
and the friends of the temperance cause in the 
places where he labors. In assuming that duty, 
such friends appreciate that they are acting 
simply under his inspiration, and are really 
building with what he has given them. This 
side of the permanency of " Ned " Murphy's 
work was well brought out in a little poem 



THE BLESSING THA T REMAINS. 347 

read by the Rev. Dr. J. G. Davenport, pastor 
of the Second Congregational Church in Water- 
bury, at the opening of the " Wayside Inn," 
a coffee house established in that city by the 
temperance friends Mr. Murphy had made 
there. A portion of this poem is as follows : 



And so the fun and laughter , 
Show fruitage ripening after ! 
And so the telling story 
That wrapped our " Ned " in glory, 
And so the wit and humor 
The incident and rumor, 
The quaint, incisive saying 
That set a soul a-praying, 
The word so sweet and tender 
That only he could render, 
The period bold and thrilling 
That captured souls unwilling, 
The language strangely winning 
That caught and held the sinning, 
The handgrasp warm and thawing 
With its magnetic drawing, 
The gesture while yet taking 
That set the platform quaking, 
The shrewd, pathetic pleading 
The climax oft succeeding, 

The conquests high and lowly 
Of lives till then unholy, 
The campaign we remember 
That cheered the dull November, 
This yields its harvest yellow, 
Its fruitage rich and mellow J 



34^ THE BLUE RIBBON. 

From out its waves of feeling 

To every soul appealing, 

From out the toss and foaming 

That seethed among the gloaming. 

Like Venus from the surges 

The " Wayside Inn " emerges ! 

Here, grandest of surprises ! 

The stately mansion rises, 

In broad proportions builded, 

Uplifted, garnished, gilded, 

By the voice to which we listened, 

By the wit that gleamed and glistened, 

By the pathos and affection, 

By the wise and kind correction, 

By the soul that like an ember 

Glowed amid the gray November ! 

Here the Blue should flaunt and flutter 
And its touching story utter 
Of the man who here contended 
With a kindness never ended ; 
Reasoned with and charmed his hearer, 
Making truth forever dearer ! 

It is of course a great gratification to Mr. 
Murphy's friends when months and years after 
one of his campaigns they can point to visible 
and tangible results of what those campaigns ac- 
complished ; to organizations of reformed men 
for mutual helpfulness and loyalty to their 
pledges, and for persuading others to take the 
same pledge ; to a new spirit in the churches 
of aggressive activity in temperance work ; to 
coffee houses and clubs which can in a wav 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 349 

compete with the attractions of saloons. But 
when all has been said that can be said of 
these outward tokens of a changed community 
attitude toward temperance, it still remains true 
that only a small part of the story has been 
told. We are all too much disposed, in examin- 
ing such a work as that of " Ned " Murphy, to 
lay too great stress on the presence or absence 
of organization as a test of its real effectiveness. 
We overlook a great number of individual lives 
which have been turned from misery to happi- 
ness by taking and keeping the pledge, instances 
which can be known only to observers in 
limited circles here and there. " Ned " Murphy 
himself is continually encountering the evidence 
of what the seed sown here or there had 
brought forth in those isolated cases which 
cannot be grouped together by the compiler of 
statistics. After his meetings again and again 
have come to him greetings from his converts 
of the years gone by, converts perhaps made 
on the other side of the ocean or in some place 
in America distant hundreds and thousands of 
miles from where he is then laboring. And 
the stories which these converts tell are perhaps 
his chief satisfaction. For they are assurances 
that his words have not fallen on stony ground, 
but have sprung up and borne fruit. 

It has already been said in the previous chap- 
ter that the individual is taking on a new value 
in the scheme of modern scientific charity. The 



35° THE BLUE RIBBON. 

new gospel of personal contact demands recog- 
nition of the tie which unites us all in a com- 
mon brotherhood, however we may be appar- 
ently separated class from class. It looks not 
so much to organization and to reaching men 
in the mass to accomplish results as to the 
touch of one hand on another. 

This is a curious return in an untheological 
age to the idea which governed the most theo- 
logical age of recent history. In his celebrated 
essay on Milton, which gave him a national 
reputation when he had barely passed twenty, 
Lord Macaulay wrote : " The Puritans were 
men whose minds had derived a peculiar charac- 
ter from the daily contemplation of superior 
beings and external interests. Not content 
with acknowledging in general terms an over- 
ruling Providence, they habitually ascribed 
every event to the will of that great being, for 
whose power nothing was too vast and for 
whose inspection nothing was too minute. To 
know him, to serve him, to enjoy him, was with 
them the great end of existence. They rejected 
with contempt the ceremonious homage which 
other sects substituted for the pure worship 
of the soul. Instead of catching occasional 
glimpses of the Deity through an obscuring veil 
they aspired to gaze full upon his intolerable 
brightness, and to commune with him face to 
face. Hence arose their contempt for terrestrial 
distinctions. The difference between the 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 35 l 

greatest and meanest of mankind seemed to 
vanish when compared with the boundless in- 
terval which separated the whole race from 
Him on whom their own eyes were constantly 
fixed. . . The very meanest of them was a 
being to whose fate a mysterious and terrible 
importance belonged, on whose slightest action 
the spirits of light and darkness looked with 
anxious interest, who had been destined before 
heaven and earth were created to enjoy a 
felicity which should endure when heaven and 
earth should have passed away. Events which 
short-sighted politicians ascribed to earthly 
causes had been ordained on his account. For 
his sake empires had risen, and flourished, and 
decayed. For his sake the Almighty had pro- 
claimed his will by the pen of the evangelist 
and the harp of the prophet. He had been 
ransomed by the sweat of no vulgar agony, by 
the blood of no earthly sacrifice. It was for 
him that the sun had been darkened, that the 
rocks had been rent, that the dead had arisen, 
that all nature had shuddered at the sufferings 
of her expiring God ! " 

This was the position of the individual in the 
scheme of the old Puritan theology. The re- 
volt from that theology has been as complete 
as it is possible to conceive. Nevertheless the 
return to belief in individual salvation, using 
the phrase in the sociological sense, has been of 
late years distinctly marked. It will not do, 



35 2 THE BLUE RIBBON. 

then, in saying a final word on what " Ned " 
Murphy has accomplished for the promotion 
of personal temperance, to leave the individual 
results out of sight. They are, after all, its 
most important results. The individual lives 
not for himself alone. He transmits his char- 
acteristic traits, whether for good or for bad, to 
the individuals who are to succeed him in the 
next generation. Society itself can never be 
reformed, whether it be a question of temper- 
ance or any other ethical question, until the 
individuals composing it are living by a stand- 
ard of self-control, sobriety, and abstinence. 

Here we come to another great truth which 
has been established by modern scientific in- 
vestigation of social problems. Despite the 
increased importance attaching to-day to the 
individual, it is found to be the family and not 
the individual that is the unit in society, as 
the molecule and not the atom is the unit in 
the physical world. The trend of all modern 
charitable work is toward classification. Those 
who are sociologically educated are trained to 
look upon individual cases as parts of groups 
and to shape their efforts of adjustment accord- 
ingly. Thus while some radical thinkers are 
challenging the necessity of the marriage rela- 
tion to the best development of society, the 
practical sociological student in his work in the 
slums is basing that work upon the integral 
character of the family as an institution. 



THE BLESSING THAT REMAINS. 353 

It is thus seen how close to the lines of the 
best modern thought is the work of " Ned " 
Murphy. In all that he says of the family and 
the home, he is in accord with the latest scien- 
tific principles of sociology, for he is working 
for the preservation of the unit of society. In 
so far as he here succeeds — and his success in 
this regard is unchallenged even by his critics 
— he is achieving the most permanent of all 
results, for he is building not for a day but for 
generations. 



THE END. 



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